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IN  THE  I AB ORATORY 


Weary  of  waiting,  Marguerite   went  up   to   the 
laboratory. 
********* 

Lemulquinier ;  zv/io  was  engaged  in  turning  the 
disc,  the  machine  being  mounted  on  a  movable  axis, 
so  as  to  keep  the  lens  always  perpendicular  to  the 
sun's  rays,  rose,  his  face  black  with  dust,  and  said: 


THE    NOVELS 


OF 


HONORE  de  BALZAC 


NOW    FOR    THE    FIRST   TIME 
COMPLETELY    TRANSLATED    INTO    ENGLISH 


THE   QUEST  OE  THE  ABSOLUTE 

BY  G.  BURNHAM   IVES 


WITH     FIVE     ETCHINGS     BY     XAVIF.R     LE     SUEUR     AND 
CHARLES-THEODORE    DEBLOIS,  AFTER   PAINT- 
INGS    BY     ADRIEN     MOREAU 


IN  ONE  VOLUME 


» 


PRINTED  ONLY  FOR  SUBSCRIBERS  BY 

GEORGE   BARRIE   &   SON,   PHILADELPHIA 


COPYRIGHT,  I899,   BY   GEORGE  BARRIE   &   SON 


• 


THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE 


189974 


TO  MADAME  JOSEPHINE  DEL  ANNOY,    NEE    DO  U MERC 

I  pray  God,  Madame,  that  this  book  may  have  a 
longer  life  than  mine!  the  gratitude  which  1  have 
vowed  to  you,  and  which,  I  trust,  will  equal  your 
almost  maternal  affection  for  me,  will  in  that  case 
exist  beyond  the  limits  ordained  for  our  sentiments. 
That  sublime  privilege  of  extending  thus  by  the  life 
of  our  works  the  life  of  our  hearts,  if  one  could 
ever  be  assured  of  it,  would  be  a  sufficient  consola- 
tion for  all  the  trouble  it  costs  those  whose  ambition 
it  is  to  win  it.  1  will  say  again,  therefore:  may  God 
grant  it ! 

De  Balzac. 


There  exists  at  Douai,  on  Rue  de  Paris,  a  house 
whose  external  aspect,  interior  arrangements,  and 
details  of  construction  have  retained,  to  a  greater 
degree  than  those  of  other  buildings,  the  peculiari- 
ties of  the  old  Flemish  architecture,  so  naively  ap- 
propriate to  the  patriarchal  manners  of  that  excellent 
country;  but,  before  describing  it,  it  will  be  advis- 
able, perhaps,  in  the  interest  of  authors  generally, 
to  demonstrate  the  necessity  of  these  didactic  pre- 
liminaries, against  which  certain  ignorant  and  greedy 
persons  protest  who  seek  emotion  without  under- 
going its  generative  principles,  the  flower  without 
the  seed,  the  child  without  gestation.  Is  Art  to  be 
considered  more  powerful  than  Nature? 

The  events  of  human  life,  public  as  well  as  private, 
are  so  closely  connected  with  architecture,  that  most 
observers  are  able  to  reconstruct  nations  or  individ- 
uals with  entire  accuracy,  in  respect  to  their  habits, 
from  the  remains  of  their  public  monuments  or  by 
examining  their  domestic  relics.  Archaeology  is  to 
social  nature  what  comparative  anatomy  is  to  organic 
nature.  A  mosaic  discloses  a  whole  social  epoch, 
just  as  the  skeleton  of  an  ichthyosaurus  implies  a 
whole  creation.  In  both  directions  everything  can 
be  logically  deducted,  everything  forms  a  link  in  the 
chain.  Causes  foreshadow  effects,  just  as  each  effect 
enables  us  to  go  back  to  its  cause.    Thus  the  scholar 

(5) 


6  THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE 

re-creates  even  the  little  excrescences  of  bygone 
ages.  Doubtless  this  explains  the  extraordinary 
interest  aroused  by  an  architectural  description, 
when  the  author's  fancy  does  not  distort  its  ele- 
ments; for  everyone  can  connect  it  with  the  past  by 
rigid  deductions,  and  to  man  the  past  bears  a  singular 
resemblance  to  the  future:  to  tell  him  what  has  been 
is  almost  always  equivalent  to  telling  him  what  will 
be.  Moreover,  it  seldom  happens  that  a  description 
of  places  where  men  have  passed  their  lives  does  not 
remind  each  one  who  reads  it  either  of  his  broken 
vows  or  of  his  budding  hopes.  The  comparison 
between  a  present  which  disappoints  one's  secret 
wishes  and  a  future  which  may  gratify  them  is  an 
inexhaustible  source  of  melancholy  or  of  placid  sat- 
isfaction. So  it  is  that  it  is  almost  impossible  to 
avoid  a  sort  of  emotion  in  presence  of  a  painting  of 
Flemish  life  when  its  accessories  are  faithfully  de- 
picted. Why?  Perhaps  because  it  is,  of  the  dif- 
ferent forms  of  existence,  the  one  that  puts  an  end 
most  satisfactorily  to  man's  uncertainties.  It  cannot 
be  dissociated  from  all  the  national  festivities,  all  the 
family  ties,  a  sleek  air  of  comfort  which  attests  con- 
stant prosperity;  but  it  expresses  above  all  else  the 
tranquil  monotony  of  a  frankly  sensual  happiness, 
in  which  enjoyment  stifles  desire  by  always  antici- 
pating it. 

Whatever  value  the  passionate  man  may  attach 
to  the  turmoil  of  sentiments,  he  never  witnesses 
without  emotion  the  images  of  that  social  nature 
where  the  pulsations  of  the  heart  are  so  carefully 


THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE  7 

regulated  that  superficial  people  reproach  it  with 
coldness.  The  multitude  generally  prefers  the  ab- 
normal force  which  overflows  to  the  regular  force 
applied  with  persistency.  The  multitude  has  neither 
the  time  nor  the  patience  to  understand  the  immense 
power  concealed  beneath  an  appearance  of  uniform- 
ity^ So  that,  to  impress  that  multitude,  borne  on 
by  the  current  of  life,  passion,  like  the  great  artist, 
has  no  other  resource  than  to  go  beyond  the  goal,  as 
Michel  Angelo  did,  and  Bianca  Capello,  Mademoiselle 
de  la  Valliere,  Beethoven,  and  Paganini.  Only  the 
great  reasoners  understand  that  one  should  never 
pass  one's  goal,  and  respect  only  the  potentiality 
that  is  evidenced  by  a  perfect  achievement  which 
imparts  to  every  work  the  profound  tranquillity 
whose  charm  impresses  men  of  superior  mould.  Now, 
the  manner  of  life  adopted  by  that  essentially  eco- 
nomical people  supplies  all  the  conditions  of  felicity 
of  which  the  masses  dream  as  essential  to  the  exist- 
ence of  the  modest  middle-class  citizen. 

The  most  refined  materialism  is  imprinted  upon 
all  the  Flemish  habits.  English  comfort  is  marked 
by  harsh,  unpleasant  tones;  whereas,  in  Flanders, 
the  old  interiors  rejoice  the  eye  with  soothing  colors, 
with  genuine  homeliness;  they  suggest  work  with- 
out fatigue;  the  pipe  denotes  a  happy  application 
of  the  Neapolitan/tff  niente ;  a  placid  understanding  of 
art  is  indicated  as  well,  its  most  essential  element, 
patience,  and  that  which  makes  its  creations  lasting, 
conscientiousness;  the  Flemish  character  is  described 
in  those  two  words,  patience  and  conscientiousness, 


8  THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE 

which  would  seem  to  exclude  the  fruitful  shades  of 
poesy,  and  to  make  the  manners  of  that  country 
as  flat  and  uninteresting  as  its  vast  plains,  as  cold  as 
its  foggy  sky.  Nevertheless,  nothing  of  the  sort  is 
true.  Civilization  has  exhibited  its  power  there  by 
modifying  everything,  even  the  effects  of  the  cli- 
mate. If  we  observe  carefully  the  products  of  the 
different  countries  of  the  globe,  we  are  first  of  all 
surprised  to  see  that  the  different  shades  of  gray  and 
fawn-color  are  especially  prevalent  in  the  products 
of  the  temperate  zones,  while  the  most  brilliant 
colors  distinguish  those  of  the  hot  countries.  Morals 
must  necessarily  conform  to  that  natural  law.  Flan- 
ders, which  was  formerly  an  essentially  sombre 
country,  given  over  to  monotony  of  coloring,  found 
a  method  of  injecting  brilliancy  into  its  smoky  at- 
mosphere through  the  political  vicissitudes  which 
subjected  it  successively  to  the  Burgundians,  the 
Spaniards,  and  the  French,  and  compelled  its  people 
to  make  common  cause  with  the  Germans  and  the 
Dutch.  From  their  Spanish  associations  they  re- 
tained the  rich  shades  of  scarlet,  glossy  satins,  showy 
carpets,  feathers,  mandolins,  and  courteous  manners. 
From  Venice  they  received,  in  exchange  for  their 
linen  and  laces,  the  fanciful  glassware  wherein  the 
wine  sparkles  and  seems  to  taste  better.  From 
Austria  they  derived  that  ponderous  diplomacy 
which,  according  to  a  popular  saying,  takes  three 
steps  in  a  bushel  measure.  Trade  with  the  Indies 
caused  an  influx  of  the  grotesque  inventions  of 
China  and  the  marvels  of  Japan.     And  yet,  despite 


THE  QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE  9 

its  patience  in  retaining  whatever  it  acquires,  in 
letting  nothing  go,  in  enduring  everything,  Flanders 
could  hardly  be  looked  upon  except  as  the  general 
warehouse  of  Europe  down  to  the  period  when  the 
discovery  of  tobacco  welded  together  the  scattered 
national  features  with  smoke.  Since  then,  notwith- 
standing the  clipping  of  its  territory,  the  Flemish 
people  has  existed  through  the  pipe  and  beer. 

After  assimilating,  by  means  of  the  never-failing 
economy  of  its  conduct,  the  treasures  and  the  ideas 
•of  its  masters  and  its  neighbors,  that  country,  natu- 
rally so  dull  and  devoid  of  poesy,  shaped  for  itself 
an  original  mode  of  life  and  characteristic  manners, 
without  seeming  to  incur  the  reproach  of  servility. 
Art  stripped  off  all  idealism  to  reproduce  form  alone. 
Do  not  look  to  that  country,  therefore,  for  poetry  in 
plaster,  nor  for  vigorous  comedy,  nor  for  dramatic 
action,  nor  for  the  bold  flights  of  the  epic  or  the  ode, 
nor  for  musical  genius;  but  it  is  fertile  in  discoveries, 
in  learned  discussions  which  require  both  time  and 
the  midnight  oil.  Everything  there  bears  the  stamp 
of  temporal  enjoyment.  Men  see  exclusively  what 
is,  their  mind  adapts  its  attitude  so  scrupulously  to 
promote  the  necessities  of  life,  that  it  has  never 
overstepped  the  limits  of  reality  in  any  work.  The 
only  idea  of  the  future  as  conceived  by  that  people 
was  a  species  of  economy  in  politics,  their  revolu- 
tionary strength  is  due  to  the  domestic  desire  to 
have  the  elbows  free  at  table,  and  complete  absence 
of  restraint  under  the  overhanging  roofs  of  their 
steedes.     The  sentiment  of  well-being  and  the  spirit 


10  THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE 

of  independence,  to  which  wealth  gives  birth,  en- 
gendered there  sooner  than  elsewhere  the  necessity 
for  liberty,  which  later  assailed  all  Europe.  In  like 
manner,  the  constancy  of  their  ideas  and  the  tenacity 
which  education  implants  in  the  Flemings  made  them 
formerly  a  race  to  be  feared  when  they  were  defend- 
ing their  rights.  With  them  nothing  is  done  by 
halves,  neither  their  houses  nor  their  furniture,  nor 
their  dikes  nor  their  farming,  nor  their  revolutions. 
So  that  they  retain  a  monopoly  in  whatever  they  un- 
dertake. The  manufacture  of  lace,  a  task  requiring 
patient  labor  in  the  fields  and  more  patient  manu- 
facturing skill,  and  the  making  of  linen,  are  heredi- 
tary among  them,  like  their  patrimonial  fortunes. 
If  one  were  called  upon  to  depict  constancy  in  its 
purest  human  form,  perhaps  one  could  do  no  better 
than  to  take  the  portrait  of  a  worthy  burgomaster  of 
the  Low  Countries,  capable,  as  so  many  of  them 
have  proved  to  be,  of  dying  modestly  and  without 
ostentation  for  the  good  of  his  guild.  But  the  grate- 
ful poetic  charm  of  that  patriarchal  existence  will 
naturally  come  to  light  in  a  description  of  one  of  the 
last  houses  in  Douai  which  still  retained  its  charac- 
teristics at  the  time  when  this  story  begins. 

Of  all  the  towns  in  the  department  of  the  Nord, 
Douai  is,  alas!  the  one  that  has  become  most  mod- 
ernized, where  the  thirst  for  innovation  has  made 
the  most  rapid  strides,  where  the  love  of  social  prog- 
ress has  spread  most  widely.  There  the  old  build- 
ings are  disappearing  day  by  day,  the  old  manners 
and  customs  dying  out.     The  tone,  the  styles,  the 


THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE  II 

manners,  of  Paris  are  in  the  ascendant;  and  ere 
long  the  people  of  Douai  will  have  naught  remaining 
of  the  old  Flemish  life  save  the  hospitable  cordiality, 
the  Spanish  courtesy,  the  wealth  and  the  cleanliness 
of  Holland.  White  stone  mansions  will  soon  have 
replaced  the  brick  houses.  The  substantial  Dutch 
architecture  will  have  yielded  to  the  varying  ele- 
gance of  French  novelties. 

The  house  in  which  the  incidents  of  this  tale  oc- 
curred is  situated  almost  in  the  middle  of  Rue  de 
Paris,  and  has  been  known  in  Douai  for  more  than 
two  hundred  years  as  "  Claes  House."  The  Van 
Claes  were  formerly  one  of  the  most  illustrious 
families  of  mechanics  to  whom  the  Low  Countries 
owed  the  commercial  supremacy  in  several  products 
which  they  have  always  retained.  For  a  long  time, 
the  Claes  were,  generation  after  generation,  leaders 
of  the  powerful  guild  of  weavers  in  the  city  of  Ghent. 
At  the  time  of  the  revolt  of  that  great  city  against 
Charles  V.,  who  endeavored  to  suppress  its  privi- 
leges, the  wealthiest  of  the  Claes  was  so  deeply  in- 
volved that,  foreseeing  a  catastrophe  and  compelled 
to  share  the  fate  of  his  companions,  he  secretly  sent 
away  his  wife,  his  children,  and  his  treasure,  and 
placed  them  under  French  protection,  before  the  Em- 
peror's troops  had  invested  the  city.  The  syndic's 
previsions  were  fulfilled.  He,  with  several  other 
burghers,  was  excepted  from  the  capitulation  and 
hanged  as  a  rebel,  whereas  he  was  in  reality  the 
defender  of  the  independence  of  Ghent.  The  deaths 
of  Claes  and  his  companions  bore  fruit.     At  a  later 


12  THE  QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE 

date,  those  useless  executions  cost  the  King  of  Spain 
the  greater  part  of  his  possessions  in  the  Low  Coun- 
tries. Of  all  the  seeds  entrusted  to  the  earth,  the 
blood  shed  by  martyrs  produces  the  speediest  crop. 
When  Philip  II.,  who  punished  the  revolt  to  the 
second  generation,  extended  his  iron  sceptre  over 
Douai,  the  Claes  preserved  their  great  wealth,  ally- 
ing themselves  with  the  very  noble  family  of  Molina, 
whose  elder  branch,  at  that  time  impoverished,  be- 
came wealthy  enough  to  be  in  a  position  to  redeem 
the  comte  of  Nourho,  in  the  Kingdom  of  Leon,  of 
which  it  was  only  titular  possessor. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  nineteenth  century,  after 
many  vicissitudes  which  it  would  be  in  nowise  inter- 
esting to  describe,  the  family  of  Claes  was  repre- 
sented, in  the  branch  settled  at  Douai,  by  Monsieur 
Balthazar  Claes-Molina,  Count  of  Nourho,  who  chose 
to  call  himself  plain  Balthazar  Claes.  Of  the  vast 
fortune  amassed  by  his  ancestors,  who  had  practised 
innumerable  trades,  Balthazar  still  possessed  about 
fifteen  thousand  francs  a  year  in  real  estate  in  the 
arrondissement  of  Douai,  in  addition  to  the  house  on 
Rue  de  Paris,  the  furniture  in  which  was  worth  a 
fortune. 

As  for  the  property  in  the  Kingdom  of  Leon,  that 
had  been  the  subject  of  a  lawsuit  between  the  Molinas 
of  Flanders  and  that  branch  of  the  family  which  had 
remained  in  Spain.  The  Molinas  of  Leon  secured 
the  estates,  and  assumed  the  title  of  counts  of 
Nourho,  although  the  Claes  alone  had  the  right  to 
bear  it;  but  the  vanity  of  the  Belgian  bourgeoisie 


THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE  1 3 

was  superior  to  Castilian  pride.  And  so,  when  the 
etat  civil  was  instituted,  Balthazar  laid  aside  the  rags 
of  his  Spanish  nobility  in  favor  of  his  eminent  station 
as  a  burgher  of  Ghent.  The  sentiment  of  patriotism 
is  so  firmly  rooted  in  exiled  families  that,  even  in  the 
last  years  of  the  eighteenth  century,  the  Claes  were 
still  faithful  to  their  traditions,  their  manners,  and 
customs.  They  formed  alliances  only  with  families 
of  the  purest  burgher  blood:  a  woman  must  be  able 
to  point  to  a  certain  number  of  sheriffs  or  burgo- 
masters among  her  kindred  to  be  admitted  into  their 
family.  Indeed,  they  went  to  Bruges,  Ghent,  or 
Liege,  or  into  Holland  for  their  wives,  in  order  to  per- 
petuate the  customs  of  their  domestic  life.  Toward 
the  close  of  the  last  century,  their  social  circle,  having 
grown  constantly  smaller  and  smaller,  was  reduced 
to  seven  or  eight  families  of  parliamentary  nobility, 
whose  morals,  whose  togas  with  their  ample  folds, 
and  whose  half-Spanish,  magisterial  gravity  were  in 
harmony  with  their  habits.  The  people  of  the  town 
entertained  a  sort  of  religious  respect  for  the  family, 
who  were  to  them  a  predilection,  so  to  speak.  The 
never-failing  uprightness,  the  stainless  honor  of  the 
Claes,  their  invariable  decorum,  made  them  the  sub- 
ject of  a  superstition  as  inveterate  as  that  of  the 
feast  of  Gayant,  and  well  expressed  by  the  name 
"  Claes  House."  The  spirit  of  old  Flanders  breathed 
in  that  dwelling,  which  presented  to  admirers  of  bour- 
geois antiquities  a  typical  example  of  the  unpreten- 
tious houses  which  wealthy  burghers  of  the  Middle 
Ages  built  for  themselves. 


14  THE  QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE 

The  principal  ornament  of  the  facade  was  an  oaken 
folding-door,  trimmed  with  nails  arranged  in  quin- 
cunxes, in  the  centre  of  which  the  Claes  had  proudly 
caused  to  be  carved  two  shuttles  joined  together. 
The  door-frame  was  of  sandstone  and  was  capped 
by  a  pointed  arch  from  which  was  suspended  a  small 
lantern  surmounted  by  a  cross,  in  which  could  be 
seen  a  statuette  of  Sainte  Genevieve  spinning.  Al- 
though time  had  cast  its  darkening  tinge  upon  the 
delicate  handiwork  of  the  doorway  and  the  lantern, 
the  extreme  care  bestowed  upon  them  by  the  ser- 
vants of  the  house  enabled  the  passer-by  to  grasp  all 
their  details.  For  instance,  the  door-post,  composed 
of  a  group  of  small  pillars,  preserved  a  deep-gray 
color,  and  shone  so  that  one  might  think  it  had  been 
varnished.  On  each  side  of  the  door,  on  the  ground- 
floor,  were  two  windows  like  all  those  in  the  house. 
The  white  stone  frame  ended  under  the  sill  in  a  shell 
richly  carved,  and  above,  in  two  arches,  separated 
by  the  upright  of  the  cross  which  divided  the  window 
into  four  unequal  parts,  for  the  cross-piece,  being 
placed  at  the  requisite  height  to  represent  a  cross, 
made  the  two  lower  parts  almost  twice  as  large 
as  the  upper  ones,  which  were  rounded  at  the  top  by 
the  arched  frames.  The  twofold  arch  was  embel- 
lished by  three  rows  of  bricks,  each  protruding  be- 
yond the  last,  the  alternate  bricks  in  each  row  being 
set  forward  about  an  inch,  making  a  sort  of  fret- 
work. The  panes,  which  were  small  and  diamond- 
shaped,  were  set  in  extremely  slender  iron  bars, 
painted  red.     The  walls,  of  brick  pointed  with  white 


THE   QUEST  OF  THE   ABSOLUTE  1 5 

mortar,  were  supported  at  intervals  and  at  the  cor- 
ners by  courses  of  stone.  There  were  five  windows 
on  the  first  floor,  only  three  on  the  second,  and  the 
attic  was  lighted  by  a  large  round  opening  with  five 
compartments,  with  a  frame  of  sandstone,  set  in 
the  centre  of  the  triangular  pediment  formed  by  the 
gable,  like  the  rose-window  over  the  grand  portal 
of  a  cathedral.  On  the  ridge-pole,  by  way  of 
weathercock,  was  a  distaff  with  its  supply  of  flax. 
The  two  sides  of  the  great  triangle  formed  by  the 
wall  of  the  gable  were  cut  by  something  like  steps 
as  far  as  the  coping  of  the  first  floor,  where,  on  both 
sides  of  the  house,  the  rain-water  fell  from  the  open 
jaws  of  a  fantastic  gargoyle.  At  the  lower  part  of 
the  wall  was  a  course  of  sandstone  in  imitation  of  a 
step.  Finally, — and  this  was  the  last  trace  of  the 
ancient  customs, — on  each  side  of  the  door,  between 
the  two  windows,  was  a  wooden  trap-door,  strength- 
ened by  stout  iron  bands,  which  gave  access  to  the 
cellar. 

Ever  since  it  was  built,  that  facade  had  been  care- 
fully cleaned  twice  a  year.  If  a  little  mortar  were 
lacking  in  a  joint,  the  hole  was  at  once  filled.  The 
windows,  the  sills,  the  stonework,  everything  was 
dusted  more  thoroughly  than  the  most  valuable 
statues  are  dusted  in  Paris.  So  that  that  house- 
front  showed  no  trace  of  deterioration.  Notwith- 
standing the  dark  color  of  the  brick's,  due  to  their 
age,  they  were  as  well  preserved  as  it  is  possible 
for  an  old  picture  to  be,  or  an  old  book,  dear  to  the 
heart  of  a  collector,  which  would   be  always  new 


16  THE  QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE 

were  they  not  subjected,  in  our  bell-glass  atmos- 
phere, to  the  influence  of  gases  whose  malignant 
qualities  threaten  our  own  well-being. 

The  cloudy  skies,  the  damp  atmosphere  of  Flan- 
ders, and  the  shadows  due  to  the  narrowness  of  the 
street  very  often  deprived  that  house  of  the  polish 
which  it  borrowed  from  its  labored  cleanliness,  and 
which  made  it  cold  and  depressing  to  the  eye.  A 
poet  would  have  loved  to  see  a  blade  or  two  of  grass 
in  the  cracks  of  the  lantern,  or  moss  on  the  jutting 
sandstone,  he  would  have  wished  that  those  rows  of 
bricks  were  cracked,  that  a  swallow  had  built  his 
nest  under  the  window  arches,  in  the  triple  row 
of  red  pigeon-holes  which  embellished  them.  In 
truth,  the  high  finish,  the  super-cleanly  aspect  of 
that  facade,  half-worn  by  rubbing,  gave  it  a  sedately 
genteel  and  respectable  look,  which  would  certainly 
have  caused  a  lover  of  the  romantic  to  change  his 
quarters  if  he  had  lived  opposite. 

When  a  visitor  had  pulled  the  twisted  iron  cord  of 
the  bell  which  hung  by  the  door-post,  and  the  ser- 
vant had  opened  that  leaf  of  the  door  in  the  centre  of 
which  was  a  little  wicket,  it  slipped  at  once  from  her 
hand,  by  reason  of  its  great  weight,  and  flew  back, 
echoing  under  the  arches  of  a  spacious  flagged  gal- 
lery and  through  the  inmost  recesses  of  the  house 
with  a  solemn,  heavy  sound  as  if  it  were  of  bronze. 
That  gallery,  painted  in  imitation  of  marble,  always 
cool  and  with  a  layer  of  fine  sand  on  the  floor,  led  to 
a  great  square  interior  courtyard,  paved  with  large 
glazed  tiles  of  a  greenish  color.     At  the  left  were 


THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE  1 7 

the  laundry,  the  kitchens,  the  servants'  quarters; 
at  the  right,  the  wood-shed,  the  coal-bins,  and  the 
offices,  the  doors,  windows,  and  walls  of  the  latter 
embellished  with  architectural  designs  which  were 
always  exquisitely  clean.  The  light,  sifted  between 
four  red  walls  striped  with  lines  of  white,  acquired 
a  pink  tinge  which  gave  to  men's  faces  and  to  the 
■  most  trivial  details  a  mysterious  charm  and  fantastic 
appearance. 

A  second  house  exactly  like  the  one  on  the  street, 
and  known  in  Flanders  by  the  name  of  qaartier  de 
derriere,  stood  at  the  other  end  of  the  courtyard  and 
was  used  solely  as  the  dwelling  of  the  family.  On 
the  ground-floor,  the  first  room  was  a  parlor  lighted 
by  two  windows  on  the  courtyard  side,  and  by  two 
others  looking  on  a  garden  whose  width  corresponded 
to  that  of  the  house.  Two  glass  doors,  on  opposite 
sides  of  the  room,  led  to  the  courtyard  and  garden, 
respectively,  and  were  on  a  line  with  the  street-door, 
so  that  a  stranger,  on  entering  from  the  street,  could 
see  the  whole  property  from  end  to  end,  to  the  foliage 
at  the  rear  of  the  garden.  The  building  in  front, 
intended  for  receptions,  with  the  guest-rooms  on  the 
second  floor,  undoubtedly  contained  many  objects  of 
art  and  the  accumulated  treasures  of  years;  but  in 
the  eyes  of  the  Claes,  as  well  as  in  the  opinion  of 
connoisseurs,  nothing  could  compare  with  the  treas- 
ures which  adorned  that  room  in  which  the  life  of 
the  family  had  been  lived  for  two  centuries.  The 
Claes  who  laid  down  his  life  in  the  cause  of  the 
liberties  of  Ghent,  the  artisan  of  whom  we  should 
2 


1 8  THE  QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE 

conceive  an  inadequate  idea  if  the  historian  should 
omit  to  say  that  he  possessed  nearly  forty  thou- 
sand silver  marks,  amassed  in  the  manufacture  of 
sail-cloth  for  the  all-powerful  Venetian  navy, — that 
Claes  had  for  a  friend  the  famous  wood-carver 
Van  Huysium  of  Bruges.  Many  a  time  the  artist 
had  had  recourse  to  the  artisan's  purse.  Some  time 
previous  to  the  revolt  of  the  people  of  Ghent,  Van 
Huysium,  having  become  rich,  had  secretly  carved 
for  his  friend  a  solid  ebony  wainscoting,  whereon 
were  represented  the  principal  scenes  in  the  life  of 
Arteveld,  the  brewer,  who  was  for  an  instant  King 
of  Flanders.  That  wainscoting,  composed  of  sixty 
panels,  contained  about  fourteen  hundred  principal 
figures,  and  was  considered  Van  Huysium's  great- 
est work.  The  captain  to  whom  was  entrusted  the 
duty  of  guarding  the  burghers  whom  Charles  V. 
had  decided  to  have  hanged  on  the  day  of  his  entry 
into  his  natal  city,  proposed  to  Van  Claes,  it  is  said, 
to  allow  him  to  escape,  if  he  would  give  him  Van 
Huysium's  masterpiece.  But  the  weaver  had  already 
sent  it  to  France. 

The  parlor,  being  wainscoted  entirely  with  those 
panels,  which,  out  of  respect  for  the  shades  of  the 
martyr,  Van  Huysium  himself  had  framed  in  wood 
painted  in  ultramarine  mingled  with  threads  of  gold, 
was,  therefore,  the  most  perfect  work  of  that  mas- 
ter whose  least  important  works  are  sold  to-day  for 
almost  their  weight  in  gold.  About  the  fireplace, 
Van  Claes,  painted  by  Titian  in  his  costume  of  pres- 
ident of  the  court  of  the  Parchons,  seemed  still  to 


THE   QUEST  OF  THE   ABSOLUTE  19 

lead  that  family,  who  looked  with  veneration  upon 
him  as  their  great  man.  The  fireplace,  originally  of 
stone,  with  a  very  high  mantel,  had  been  rebuilt 
of  white  marble  in  the  last  century;  and  upon  the 
mantel  were  an  old  clock,  and  two  candelabra  with 
five  twisted  branches,  in  wretched  taste,  but  of  solid 
silver.  The  four  windows  were  decorated  with  long, 
red  damask  curtains,  with  black  flowers,  lined  with 
white  silk,  and  the  furniture,  covered  with  the  same 
material,  had  been  renovated  under  Louis  XIV.  The 
floor,  which  was  unmistakably  modern,  consisted  of 
great  squares  of  white  wood  surrounded  by  strips 
of  oak.  The  ceiling,  formed  by  several  cartouches, 
in  the  centre  of  which  was  a  mask  carved  by  Van 
Huysium,  had  been  respected,  and  retained  the  dark 
tints  of  Holland  oak.  At  the  four  corners  of  the 
parlor  arose  truncated  columns,  surmounted  by  can- 
delabra similar  to  those  on  the  mantel ;  a  round  table 
stood  in  the  middle  of  the  room.  Along  the  walls 
card-tables  were  symmetrically  arranged.  Upon  two 
gilded  consoles,  with  white  marble  tops,  were  placed 
at  the  period  at  which  this  narrative  begins,  two 
glass  globes  full  of  water  with  a  bed  of  sand  and 
shells,  in  which  red,  gold,  and  silver  fish  were  swim- 
ming. That  room  was  at  the  same  time  bright  and 
dismal.  The  ceiling  necessarily  absorbed  the  light, 
without  reflecting  it  at  all.  Although  light  abounded 
on  the  garden  side,  and  played  in  and  out  of  the 
carvings  of  the  ebony,  the  windows  on  the  court- 
yard admitted  very  little,  and  hardly  awoke  a  gleam 
in  the  threads  of  gold  on  the  opposite  wall.     Thus 


20  THE  QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE 

that  parlor,  splendid  as  it  was  on  a  fine  day,  was 
generally  filled  with  the  soft,  reddish,  melancholy 
tones  which  the  sun  casts  upon  the  tree-tops  in 
autumn.  It  is  useless  to  continue  the  description 
of  Claes  House,  in  other  parts  of  which  several  of 
the  scenes  of  this  narrative  will  necessarily  take 
place;  it  is  enough,  at  this  moment,  to  understand 
its  general  arrangement. 


One  Sunday  after  vespers,  in  the  latter  part  of 
August,  1812,  a  woman  was  sitting  in  her  easy-chair 
at  one  of  the  garden  windows.  The  sun's  rays  fell 
obliquely  on  the  house,  shone  slantwise  across  the 
parlor,  expired  in  fantastic  reflections  on  the  wain- 
scoting which  covered  the  wall  on  the  courtyard  side, 
and  enveloped  the  woman  in  the  zone  of  purple 
projected  by  the  damask  curtain  hanging  at  the 
window.  A  painter  of  even  moderate  ability  who 
had  copied  that  woman  at  that  moment,  would  cer- 
tainly have  produced  a  striking  picture,  with  a  face 
so  overflowing  with  sorrow  and  melancholy.  The 
attitude  of  the  body,  as  well  as  the  position  of  the 
feet,  which  were  thrust  forward,  indicated  the  pros- 
trated condition  of  one  who  loses  consciousness  of 
her  physical  being  in  the  concentration  of  her  powers 
due  to  their  being  absorbed  by  a  fixed  thought;  she 
followed  its  gleams  into  the  future,  as  frequently,  on 
the  seashore,  we  gaze  at  a  sunbeam  which  pierces 
the  clouds  and  makes  a  band  of  light  along  the 
horizon.  Her  hands  were  hanging  listlessly  over 
the  arms  of  the  chair,  and  her  head,  as  if  it  were 
too  heavy,  rested  against  the  back.  A  white  percale 
dress,  very  simply  made,  prevented  one  from  form- 
ing an  accurate  idea  of  her  proportions,  and  her  bust 
was  disguised  beneath  the  folds  of  a  scarf  crossed 
over  her  breast  and  carelessly  tied.     So  that,  even 

(21) 


22  THE  QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE 

if  the  light  had  not  shone  full  upon  her  face,  which 
she  seemed  to  prefer  to  show  rather  than  the  rest  of 
her  person,  it  would  have  been  impossible  not  to 
give  one's  attention  exclusively  to  it;  her  expression, 
which  would  have  impressed  the  most  heedless  of 
children,  was  one  of  persistent,  cold  stupefaction, 
despite  a  few  burning  tears.  Nothing  can  be  more 
painful  to  see  than  that  extreme  grief  which  over- 
flows only  at  rare  intervals,  but  which  remained 
upon  that  face  like  lava  hardened  around  a  volcano. 
You  would  have  said  that  she  was  a  dying  mother 
obliged  to  leave  her  children  in  an  abyss  of  misery, 
unable  to  bequeath  to  them  any  human  protection. 

The  face  of  that  woman,  who  was  then  about 
forty  years  of  age,  but  was  much  less  far  removed 
from  beauty  than  she  had  ever  been  in  her  youth, 
presented  none  of  the  characteristic  features  of  the 
Flemish  race.  A  mass  of  thick,  black  hair  fell  in 
curls  over  her  shoulders  and  beside  her  cheeks.  Her 
forehead,  very  prominent  and  narrow  at  the  tem- 
ples, was  of  a  yellowish  hue,  but  beneath  it  gleamed 
two  black  eyes  which  flashed  fire.  The  face,  wholly 
Spanish  in  type,  dark,  with  little  color,  and  marked 
by  small-pox,  arrested  the  eye  by  the  perfection  of 
its  shape,  its  contour  retaining,  despite  the  altera- 
tion of  the  lines,  a  suggestion  of  majestic  refinement, 
which  sometimes  reappeared  in  its  entirety  when 
some  mental  effort  restored  its  primitive  purity. 
The  feature  which  imparted  most  distinction  to  that 
virile  face  was  a  nose  hooked  like  an  eagle's  beak, 
which  bulged  too  much  in  the  middle  and  seemed  to 


THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE  23 

be  malformed  within;  but  an  indescribable  refine- 
ment resided  therein;  the  partition  between  the  nos- 
trils was  so  thin  that  its  transparence  permitted  the 
light  to  redden  it.  Although  the  lips,  which  were 
large  and  deeply  creased,  revealed  the  pride  inspired 
by  noble  birth,  they  were  stamped  with  natural 
kindliness  and  breathed  courtesy.  One  might  deny 
the  beauty  of  that  powerful  and  at  the  same  time 
essentially  feminine  face,  but  it  compelled  attention. 
Being  small  of  stature,  deformed  and  lame,  that 
woman  remained  unmarried  longer  because  every- 
body persisted  in  denying  that  she  possessed  intelli- 
gence; nevertheless,  it  sometimes  happened  that  men 
were  deeply  stirred  by  the  passionate  ardor  which 
her  face  expressed,  by  the  indications  of  an  inex- 
haustible store  of  affection,  and  remained  under  a 
spell  not  to  be  reconciled  with  so  many  defects.  She 
resembled  in  many  ways  her  ancestor,  the  Duke  of 
Casa-Real,  a  grandee  of  Spain. 

At  that  moment,  the  charm  which  formerly  laid 
hold  so  despotically  of  minds  enamored  of  poesy 
gleamed  in  her  face  more  abundantly  than  at  any 
moment  of  her  past  life,  and  was  exerted,  so  to 
speak,  on  the  empty  air,  giving  expression  to  a 
fascinating  will,  all-powerful  upon  men,  but  power- 
less to  influence  destinies.  When  her  eyes  left  the 
bowl  containing  the  fish,  at  which  she  gazed  without 
seeing  them,  she  raised  them  despairingly  as  if  to 
appeal  to  Heaven.  Her  sufferings  seemed  to  be  of 
those  which  can  be  confided  to  God  alone.  The  si- 
lence was  broken  only  by  crickets,  by  grasshoppers 


24  THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE 

chirping  in  the  little  garden,  from  which  an  oven- 
like heat  arose,  and  by  the  muffled  sounds  of  silver- 
ware, plates,  and  chairs,  which  a  servant  moved 
about  as  she  laid  the  table  for  dinner  in  a  room 
adjoining  the  parlor. 

At  the  moment  our  story  opens,  the  grief-stricken 
woman  heard  a  sound  in  the  distance,  and  seemed 
to  collect  her  faculties;  she  took  her  handkerchief, 
wiped  her  eyes,  tried  to  smile,  and  succeeded  so 
well  in  banishing  the  sorrowful  expression  engraved 
upon  all  her  features,  that  one  would  have  believed 
her  to  be  in  that  state  of  indifference  in  which  a  life 
devoid  of  anxiety  leaves  us.  Whether  it  was  that 
the  habit  of  living  in  that  house,  to  which  her  in- 
firmities confined  her,  had  made  it  possible  for  her 
to  detect  some  natural  phenomena  imperceptible  to 
others,  but  which  persons  who  are  prone  to  extremes 
of  sentiment  earnestly  seek;  or  whether  nature  had 
made  up  to  her  for  so  many  physical  shortcomings 
by  bestowing  upon  her  senses  more  delicate  than 
are  given  to  beings  apparently  endowed  with  a  more 
perfect  organization,  that  woman  had  heard  a  man's 
footstep  in  a  gallery  built  over  the  kitchens  and  ser- 
vants' quarters,  by  which  the  house  in  front  com- 
municated with  the  house  in  the  rear.  The  sound 
of  steps  became  more  and  more  distinct.  Ere  long, 
even  though  he  had  not  the  power  with  which  a 
passionate  creature  like  her  can  often  do  away  with 
space  to  join  another  self,  a  stranger  could  readily 
have  heard  the  steps  on  the  stairs  leading  from  the 
gallery  to  the   parlor.     The  most   heedless  person 


THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE  25 

would  have  been  assailed  by  many  thoughts  upon 
hearing  that  echoing  step,  for  it  was  impossible  to 
listen  to  it  unmoved.  A  precipitate  or  jerky  step 
alarms  us.  When  a  man  rises  and  shouts  "fire!" 
his  feet  speak  as  loud  as  his  voice.  That  being  so, 
a  step  of  a  contrary  description  should  cause  us  no 
less  powerful  emotion.  The  slow,  solemn,  dragging 
step  of  the  man  who  was  approaching  would  doubt- 
less have  jarred  upon  the  unreflecting;  but  a  care- 
ful observer  or  a  nervous  person  would  have  felt  a 
sentiment  akin  to  terror  at  the  measured  tread  of 
those  feet  from  which  life  seemed  to  have  departed, 
and  which  made  the  floor-boards  creak  as  if  two 
iron  weights  were  descending  upon  them  one  after 
another.  You  would  have  recognized  the  undecided, 
heavy  step  of  an  old  man,  or  the  majestic  gait  of  a 
thinker  who  carries  worlds  upon  his  shoulders. 

When  that  man  had  descended  the  last  stair,  he 
brought  his  feet  together  upon  the  flags  with  a  hesi- 
tating movement,  and  stood  for  a  moment  on  the 
broad  landing  from  which  the  passage-way  led  to 
the  servants'  quarters,  and  from  which  one  could 
also  enter  the  parlor  or  the  dining-room  through 
doors  hidden  in  the  wainscoting  on  opposite  sides. 

At  that  moment,  a  slight  shudder,  not  unlike  the 
sensation  caused  by  an  electric  spark,  ran  through 
the  frame  of  the  woman  sitting  in  the  easy-chair; 
but  at  the  same  time  the  sweetest  of  smiles  played 
about  her  lips,  and  her  face,  transfigured  by  antici- 
pation of  a  pleasure,  shone  resplendent  like  the  face 
of  a  beautiful  Italian  madonna;  suddenly  she  found 


26  THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE 

strength  to  force  back  her  fears  to  the  depths  of  her 
heart;  then  she  turned  her  face  toward  the  panels 
of  the  door  which  was  about  to  open  in  the  corner  of 
the  parlor,  and  which  was,  in  fact,  thrown  open  so 
abruptly  that  the  poor  creature  seemed  to  have  re- 
ceived the  impulse  given  to  it. 

Balthazar  Claes  suddenly  appeared,  took  a  few 
steps  into  the  room,  did  not  look  at  the  woman  who 
was  sitting  there,  or,  if  he  did  look  at  her,  did  not 
see  her,  and  stood  still,  resting  his  head,  slightly 
bent,  upon  his  right  hand.  A  horrible  pang,  to 
which  she  could  not  accustom  herself,  although  it 
recurred  constantly  every  day,  contracted  her  heart, 
dissipated  her  smile,  caused  folds  to  appear  on  her 
dark  forehead  between  the  eyebrows,  about  the 
furrow  hollowed  out  by  the  frequent  expression  of 
passionate  sentiments;  her  eyes  filled  with  tears, 
but  she  abruptly  wiped  them  away  as  she  glanced 
at  Balthazar.  It  was  impossible  not  to  be  pro- 
foundly impressed  by  the  aspect  of  that  head  of  the 
Claes  family.  In  his  youth,  he  must  have  resem- 
bled the  sublime  martyr  who  threatened  Charles  V. 
with  a  repetition  of  Arte  veld;  but,  at  the  time  of 
which  we  write,  he  seemed  to  be  more  than  sixty 
years  old,  although  he  was  about  fifty,  and  his  pre- 
mature old  age  had  destroyed  that  noble  likeness. 
His  tall  figure  was  slightly  bent,  whether  because 
the  work  in  which  he  was  engaged  compelled  him 
to  stoop,  or  because  the  spinal  column  had  curved 
under  the  weight  of  his  head.  He  had  a  full  neck 
and  a  broad  chest;   but  the  lower  portions  of  his 


THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE  27 

body  were  slender,  although  endowed  with  nervous 
strength;  and  that  lack  of  harmony  in  an  organiza- 
tion  that  was   evidently  once   perfect   puzzled  the 
mind,  which  sought  in  some  peculiar  mode  of  life  an 
explanation  of  that  abnormal  figure.     His  abundant 
licrht  hair,  of  which  he  took  but  little  care,  fell  over 
his  shoulders  in  the  German  fashion,  but  in  a  dis- 
orderly  mass  which    harmonized  with  the   general 
singularity  of  his  appearance.     His  broad  forehead 
was  marked  by  the   protuberances  in  which   Gall 
located  the  poetic  impulses.     His  eyes,  of  a  deep, 
limpid  blue,  had  the  sudden  vivacity  noticeable  in 
illustrious  seekers  after  hidden  causes.     His  nose, 
which  had  in  all  probability  been  perfect  in  shape 
formerly,  had  lengthened,  and  the  nostrils  seemed 
to  open  gradually  more  and  more  by  an  involuntary 
tension  of  the  olfactory  muscles.     The  hairy  cheek- 
bones were  very  prominent,  and  the  cheeks,  already 
wrinkled,  seemed  the  more  hollow  on  that  account; 
his  mouth,  most  graceful  in  outline,  was  closely  con- 
fined between  the  nose  and  a  short  chin,  sharply 
upturned.     The  shape  of   his  face,  however,   was 
long  rather  than  oval;  indeed,  the  scientific  theory 
which  attributes  to  every  human  face  a  resemblance 
to  the  face  of   some  animal  would  have  found  an 
additional  argument  in  the  case  of  Balthazar  Claes, 
whose  face  might  have  been  compared  to  a  horse's. 
His  skin  was  drawn  tightly  around  his  bones,  as  if 
some  hidden  fire  were  constantly  drying  it;  then,  at 
times,  when  he  stared  into  space  as  if  seeing  there 
the  realization  of  his  hopes,  you  would  have  said 


28  THE  QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE 

that  he  breathed  forth  through  his  nostrils  the  flame 
that  consumed  his  soul. 

The  deep-rooted  sentiments  which  inspire  great 
men  exhaled  from  that  pale  face  furrowed  with  deep 
wrinkles,  shone  upon  that  brow  contracted  like  that 
of  a  careworn  old  king,  and,  above  all,  in  those 
gleaming  eyes  whose  fire  seemed  to  be  increased 
alike  by  the  chastity  due  to  the  tyranny  of  ideas 
and  by  the  internal  flame  of  a  vast  intellect.  The 
eyes,  set  deep  in  their  orbits,  seemed  to  owe  the 
dark  circles  by  which  they  were  surrounded  to 
naught  but  midnight  vigils  and  the  terrible  reac- 
tions of  a  hope  constantly  crushed  and  as  often  born 
anew.  The  zealous  fanaticism  inspired  by  art  or  sci- 
ence was  also  betrayed  in  that  man  by  a  strange  and 
persistent  absent-mindedness,  to  which  his  dress 
and  demeanor  bore  witness,  in  accord  with  the  ab- 
normal magnificence  of  his  face.  His  large,  hairy 
hands  were  dirty,  his  long  nails  had  at  the  ends 
very  deep,  black  lines.  His  shoes  were  not  cleaned, 
and  lacked  strings.  Of  all  the  household,  none  but 
the  master  was  given  the  strange  license  to  be  so 
unclean  about  his  person.  His  black  broadcloth  trou- 
sers covered  with  spots,  his  buttonless  waistcoat, 
his  cravat  tied  askew,  and  his  green  coat,  always 
ripped,  completed  an  extraordinary  combination  of 
small  things  and  great  which,  in  any  other  man, 
would  have  revealed  the  destitution  engendered  by 
vice,  but  which,  in  the  case  of  Balthazar  Claes,  was 
simply  the  heedlessness  of  genius.  Too  often,  vice 
and  genius   produce  similar  results,  which  mislead 


THE  QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE  29 


the  multitude.  Genius  is  nothing  more  than  con- 
stant excess,  which  devours  time,  money,  and  the 
body,  and  which  leads  to  the  poorhouse  even  more 
rapidly  than  evil  passions.  Indeed,  men  seem  to 
have  more  respect  for  vice  than  for  genius,  for  they 
refuse  to  believe  in  the  latter.  It  would  seem  that 
the  beneficial  results  of  the  secret  toil  of  the  scholar 
are  so  distant  that  society  is  afraid  to  reckon  with 
him  in  his  lifetime;  it  prefers  to  satisfy  its  con- 
science by  refusing  to  forgive  his  destitution  or  his 
misfortunes. 

Despite  his  constant  forgetfulness  of  the  present, 
if  Balthazar  Claes  laid  aside  his  mysterious  contem- 
plations, if  some  genial,  sociable  idea  enlivened  that 
thoughtful  face,  if  his  staring  eyes  lost  their  rigid 
gleam  in  order  to  express  a  human  sentiment,  if  he 
returned  to  real  life  and  looked  about  him,  it  was 
difficult  to  avoid  doing  involuntary  homage  to  the 
fascinating  beauty  of  that  face,  to  the  gracious  in- 
telligence therein  depicted.  So  it  was  that  every- 
one who  saw  him  at  such  times  regretted  that  that 
man  no  longer  belonged  to  the  world,  saying : 

"  He  must  have  been  very  handsome  in  his  youth!" 
A  vulgar  error!  Balthazar  Claes  had  never  been 
a  more  poetic  figure  than  he  was  at  that  moment. 
Lavater  would  surely  have  liked  to  study  that  face 
instinct  with  patience,  with  Flemish  honesty,  with 
outspoken  morality,  in  which  everything  was  on  a 
broad,  grand  scale,  in  which  passion  seemed  calm 
because  it  was  strong.  His  morals  must  have  been 
pure,   his  word  was  sacred,  his  friendship  seemed 


30  THE  QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE 

unswerving,  his  devotion  should  have  been  unre- 
served ;  but  the  determination  which  employs  those 
qualities  to  the  profit  of  the  family,  the  fatherland,  or 
the  world  had  inexorably  taken  a  different  direction. 
That  citizen,  whose  duty  it  was  to  promote  the  wel- 
fare of  a  family,  to  manage  a  fortune,  to  guide  his 
children  toward  a  noble  future,  lived  outside  of 
his  duties  and  his  affections,  in  commerce  with  some 
familiar  spirit.  To  a  priest  he  would  have  seemed 
to  be  filled  with  the  word  of  God,  an  artist  would 
have  hailed  him  as  a  great  master,  an  enthusiast 
would  have  taken  him  for  a  seer  of  the  Svveden- 
borgian  Church. 

The  dilapidated,  uncouth,  shabby  costume  which 
that  man  wore  when  he  entered  the  room  formed 
a  striking  contrast  to  the  dainty  refinement  of  the 
woman  who  gazed  at  him  in  such  sorrowful  admira- 
tion. Deformed  persons  who  have  a  shrewd  intel- 
lect or  a  beautiful  soul  always  dress  with  exquisite 
taste.  Either  they  wear  a  simple  costume,  realizing 
that  their  charm  consists  entirely  in  their  mental 
qualities,  or  they  have  the  art  of  making  one  forget 
their  physical  imperfections  by  a  cunning,  dainty 
elegance  in  matters  of  detail,  which  attracts  the  eye 
and  occupies  the  mind.  Not  only  had  that  woman 
a  noble  soul,  but  she  loved  Balthazar  Claes  with  that 
womanly  instinct  which  affords  a  foretaste  of  the 
intelligence  of  the  angels.  Reared  in  the  midst  of 
one  of  the  most  illustrious  families  of  Belgium,  she 
would  have  acquired  good  taste  there  if  she  had  not 
already  possessed  it;  but,  enlightened  by  the  desire 


THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE  3 1 

to  be  always  attractive  to  the  man  she  loved,  she 
was  able  to  dress  in  admirable  taste,  while  at  the 
same  time  her  costume  was  never  incongruous  with 
her  two  deformities.  Indeed,  she  had  no  physical 
defect  above  her  waist  except  that  one  of  her  shoul- 
ders was  perceptibly  larger  than  the  other. 

She  looked  through  the  windows  into  the  interior 
courtyard,  then  into  the  garden,  as  if  to  make  sure 
that  she  was  alone  with  Balthazar,  and  said  to  him, 
in  a  soft  voice,  with  a  look  overflowing  with  the 
submissiveness  which  distinguishes  Flemish  wives, 
for,  between  them,  love  had  long  since  put  to  flight 
the  pride  of  Spanish  grandeeship  : 

"Are  you  so  very  busy,  Balthazar?  this  is  the 
thirty-third  Sunday  that  you  have  been  neither  to 
mass  nor  to  vespers." 

Claes  did  not  reply;  his  wife  hung  her  head, 
folded  her  hands,  and  waited  ;  she  knew  that  his 
silence  denoted  neither  contempt  nor  disdain,  but 
tyrannical  preoccupation.  Balthazar  was  one  of 
those  men  who  retain  for  years  in  the  depths  of  the 
heart  their  youthful  delicacy  of  feeling;  he  would 
have  deemed  it  a  crime  to  express  the  slightest 
thought  likely  to  wound  a  woman  overwhelmed  by 
the  consciousness  of  her  physical  deformity.  He 
alone,  perhaps,  among  men  knew  that  a  word,  a 
glance,  may  wipe  out  years  of  happiness,  and  are 
the  more  cruel  in  proportion  as  they  offer  a  greater 
contrast  to  constant  gentleness  of  manner;  for  our 
nature  leads  us  to  feel  more  pain  because  of  a  dis- 
cordant note  in  our  felicity,  than  pleasure  because  of 


32  THE   QUEST  OF  THE   ABSOLUTE 

a  momentary  joy  in  misfortune.  After  a  few  mo- 
ments, Balthazar  seemed  to  wake,  looked  quickly 
about  him,  and  said: 

"  Vespers? — Ah!  the  children  are  at  vespers?" 
He  stepped  forward  to  look  into  the  garden,  where 
magnificent  tulips  were  growing  on  all  sides;  but  he 
suddenly  stopped  as  if  he  had  come  in  collision  with 
a  wall,  and  cried: 

"  Why  do  they  not  combine  in  a  stated  time?" 
"  Can  he  be  going  mad?"  said  his  wife  to  herself 
in  profound  alarm. 

In  order  to  give  greater  interest  to  the  scene  to 
which  this  situation  led,  it  is  indispensable  to  cast  a 
glance  upon  the  previous  life  of  Balthazar  Claes  and 
the  granddaughter  of  the  Duke  of  Casa-Real. 


-';■- 


About  the  year  1783,  Monsieur  Balthazar  Claes- 
Moiina  de  Nourho,  at  that  time  twenty-two  years  of 
age,  might  have  passed  for  what  we  in  France  call  a 
bel  homme.  He  had  just  finished  his  education  at 
Paris,  where  he  learned  excellent  manners  in  the 
society  of  Madame  Egmont,  Count  Horn,  the  Prince 
of  Arenberg,  the  Spanish  ambassador,  Helvetius,  and 
divers  Frenchmen  of  Belgian  origin,  or  persons  who 
had  come  to  France  from  that  country  and  who  were 
entitled  by  birth  or  fortune  to  be  reckoned  among 
the  grand  seigneurs  who  at  that  period  were  the 
arbiters  of  fashion.  Young  Claes  found  there  some 
kinsmen  and  friends  who  gave  him  a  start  in  the  first 
society  just  as  that  first  society  was  tottering  to  its 
fall;  but,  like  most  young  men,  he  was  more  at- 
tracted at  first  by  learning  and  renown  than  by 
vanity.  He  sought  the  society  of  scholars,  there- 
fore, and  more  particularly  of  Lavoisier,  who  at  that 
time  commended  himself  to  public  notice  far  more  by 
reason  of  his  vast  fortune  as  a  farmer-general  than 
by  his  discoveries  in  chemistry;  whereas  at  a  later 
period  the  great  chemist  was  destined  to  cause  the 
petty  farmer-general  to  be  forgotten. 

Balthazar  conceived  a  passionate   admiration  for 

the  science  which  Lavoisier  affected,   and   became 

his  most  enthusiastic  disciple;  but  he  was  young, 

as  handsome  as  Helvetius,  and  the  ladies  of  Paris 

3  (33) 


34  THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE 

soon  taught  him  to  distil  naught  but  wit  and  love. 
Although  he  had  embraced  his  studies  with  ardor, 
although  Lavoisier  had  accorded  him  some  words 
of  praise,  he  abandoned  his  master  to  listen  to  the 
mistresses  of  taste  in  whose  classes  young  men  were 
accustomed  to  take  their  last  lessons  in  breeding  and 
to  adapt  themselves  to  the  customs  of  the  first  soci- 
ety, which  forms  a  single  family  throughout  Europe. 
The  intoxicating  dream  of  success  was  of  brief  dura- 
tion; after  a  breath  of  the  air  of  Paris,  Balthazar  left 
the  city,  fatigued  by  a  vain  existence  which  suited 
neither  his  enthusiastic  mind  nor  his  loving  heart. 
The  tranquil,  pleasant  domestic  life  which  came  to 
his  mind  at  the  mere  name  of  Flanders  seemed 
to  him  better  adapted  to  his  character  and  the  ambi- 
tions of  his  heart.  The  gilded  splendors  of  Parisian 
salons  had  failed  to  efface  the  harmonious  tints  of 
the  dark  parlor  and  of  the  little  garden  where  his 
childhood  had  passed  so  happily.  One  must  have 
neither  home  nor  native  land  to  remain  in  Paris. 
Paris  is  the  city  of  the  cosmopolite  or  of  men  who 
have  espoused  the  world  and  who  embrace  it  inces- 
santly with  the  arms  of  science,  art,  or  power. 

The  child  of  Flanders  returned  to  Douai  like  La 
Fontaine's  pigeon  to  its  nest;  he  wept  with  joy  when 
he  entered  the  town  on  the  day  when  Gayant  walked 
abroad.  Gayant,  the  superstitious  good-luck  of  the 
whole  town,  the  triumph  of  Flemish  souvenirs,  had 
appeared  at  the  time  of  the  emigration  of  his  family  to 
Douai.  The  death  of  his  father  and  mother  had  left 
Claes  House  deserted,  and  kept  him  busy  there  for 


THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE  35 

some  time.  When  the  first  grief  was  passed,  he  felt 
the  need  of  a  wife  to  consummate  the  happy  existence 
all  the  sacredness  of  which  had  again  possessed  his 
thoughts;  he  chose  to  follow  in  the  path  of  domestic 
traditions  by  seeking  a  wife,  as  his  ancestors  had 
done,  at  Ghent  or  Bruges  or  Antwerp;  but  no  one  of 
the  women  whom  he  met  in  those  places  suited  him. 
Doubtless  he  had  some  peculiar  ideas  concerning  mar- 
riage, for,  even  in  his  youth,  he  was  accused  of  not 
walking  in  the  beaten  track.  One  day,  in  the  house 
of  one  of  his  relatives  at  Ghent,  he  heard  something 
said  about  a  young  lady  from  Brussels,  who  became 
the  subject  of  a  lively  discussion.  Some  maintained 
that  Mademoiselle  de  Temninck's  beauty  was  nulli- 
fied by  her  deformities;  others  considered  that  she 
was  perfect,  notwithstanding  her  defects.  Balthazar 
Claes's  old  cousin  informed  his  guests  that,  beautiful 
or  not,  she  had  a  heart  which  would  lead  him  to  seek 
her  hand  if  he  were  single;  and  he  told  how  she  had 
renounced  her  share  in  the  inheritance  of  her  mother 
and  father  in  order  to  enable  her  young  brother  to 
make  an  alliance  worthy  of  his  name,  thus  prefer- 
ring her  brother's  happiness  to  her  own  and  sacrifi- 
cing her  whole  life  to  him.  It  was  not  to  be  supposed 
that  Mademoiselle  de  Temninck  would  find  a  hus- 
band, now  that  she  was  old  and  without  fortune, 
when,  as  a  young  heiress,  she  had  had  no  suitors. 
A  few  days  later,  Balthazar  Claes  sought  the  hand  of 
Mademoiselle  de  Temninck,  then  twenty-five  years 
of  age,  having  fallen  violently  in  love  with  her. 
Josephine  de  Temninck  believed  that  she  was  the 


36  THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE 

object  of  a  mere  caprice,  and  refused  to  listen  to 
Monsieur  Claes;  but  passion  is  so  contagious,  and  a 
love  inspired  in  a  young  and  handsome  man  presents 
such  great  seductions  to  a  poor,  deformed,  lame  girl, 
that  she  consented  to  receive  his  attentions. 

Nothing  less  than  a  whole  book  would  suffice  to  de- 
scribe in  adequate  terms  the  love  of  a.young  woman 
humbly  submissive  to-  the  public  opinion  which  pro- 
nounces her  ugly,  while  she  feels  within  herself  the 
irresistible  charm  which  genuine  sentiments  produce. 
It  imports  fierce  jealousy  at  the  sight  of  another's 
happiness,  cruel  dreams  of  vengeance  upon  the  rival 
who  steals  a  glance, — in  a  word,  emotions,  terrors 
which  are  unknown  to  the  majority  of  women, 
and  which  would  lose  effect  by  merely  being  pointed 
out.  Doubt,  so  dramatic  in  love,  lies  at  the  root  of 
this  essentially  searching  analysis,  in  which  certain 
hearts  find  anew  the  lost  but  not  forgotten  poesy  of 
their  first  distresses:  those  moments  of  sublime  ex- 
altation in  the  depths  of  the  heart,  which  the  face 
never  betrays;  that  fear  of  not  being  understood,  and 
the  boundless  joy  of  finding  that  one  has  been;  those 
vacillations  of  the  soul  that  falls  back  upon  itself  and 
those  magnetic  impulses  that  impart  such  an  end- 
less variety  of  shades  to  the  eyes;  those  thoughts  of 
suicide  aroused  by  a  word  and  dissipated  by  an  in- 
flection of  the  voice  as  far-reaching  as  the  sentiment 
whose  misapprehended  persistency  it  discloses;  those 
trembling  glances  which  serve  as  a  veil  for  astound- 
ing audacity;  those  sudden  longings  to  speak  and 
act,  restrained  by  their  very  violence;  that  secret 


THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE  37 

eloquence  which  manifests  itself  in  sentences  with- 
out deep  meaning,  but  uttered  in  an  agitated  voice; 
the  mysterious  effects  of  that  primitive  modesty  of 
soul,  and  that  divine  reserve,  which  make  one  gen- 
erous in  the  darkness,  and  cause  one  to  discover  an 
exquisite  relish  in  unknown  deeds  of  self-sacrifice; 
in  fact,  all  the  beauties  of  youthful  love  and  the 
weaknesses  of  its  power. 

Mademoiselle  Josephine  de  Temninck  was  a  co- 
quette from  grandeur  of  soul.  The  consciousness 
of  her  apparent  imperfections  made  her  as  exacting 
as  the  loveliest  of  women  could  have  been.  The 
fear  of  being  found  unattractive  some  day  awoke 
her  pride,  destroyed  her  confidence,  and  gave  her 
courage  to  keep  in  the  depths  of  her  heart  those  first 
joys  which  other  women  love  to  publish  by  their 
manners,  and  which  they  proudly  wear  as  a  decora- 
tion. The  more  violently  love  impelled  her  toward 
Balthazar,  the  less  she  dared  to  give  expression  to 
her  feelings.  The  gesture,  the  glance,  the  question 
or  the  reply,  which,  in  a  pretty  woman,  are  flatter- 
ing to  a  man,  became  in  her  case  humiliating  specu- 
lations. A  beautiful  woman  can  be  herself  without 
anxiety,  the  world  always  awards  her  credit  for  a 
foolish  remark  or  an  awkward  gesture;  whereas 
a  single  glance  arrests  the  noblest  expression  on 
an  ugly  woman's  lips,  terrifies  her  eyes,  adds  to 
the  ill-grace  of  her  movements,  embarrasses  her  de- 
meanor. She  knows  that  she  alone  is  forbidden  to 
make  mistakes,  for  everyone  denies  her  the  power 
to  repair  them,  and,  furthermore,  no  one  ever  gives 


189974 


38  THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE 

her  an  opportunity.  The  necessity  of  being  perfect 
every  instant  is  certain  to  deaden  the  faculties,  to 
impede  their  exercise.  Such  a  woman  cannot  live  ex- 
cept in  an  atmosphere  of  angelic  indulgence.  Where 
are  the  hearts  from  which  indulgence  overflows, 
untinged  by  bitter  and  insulting  compassion? 

Such  thoughts  as  these,  which  the  repellent  cour- 
tesy of  the  world  had  made  familiar  to  her,  and  the 
considerate  attentions  which  are  more  offensive  than 
insults,  because  they  aggravate  misfortunes  by  calling 
attention  to  them,  oppressed  Mademoiselle  de  Tem- 
ninck,  were  to  her  a  constant  source  of  embarrass- 
ment which  forced  back  into  the  depths  of  her  heart 
her  most  delightful  impressions,  and  imparted  coldness 
to  her  manner,  her  words,  her  expression.  She  was 
amorous  by  stealth,  but  dared  not  be  eloquent  or  beau- 
tiful except  in  solitude.  Unhappy  in  broad  daylight, 
she  would  have  been  fascinating  if  it  had  been  possi- 
ble for  her  to  live  only  at  night.  Often,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  testing  Balthazar's  love,  and  at  the  risk  of 
losing  it,  she  disdained  the  aid  of  dress,  which  partly 
atoned  for  her  deformities.  Her  Spanish  eyes  were 
bewitchingly  beautiful  when  she  saw  that  he  con- 
sidered her  lovely  in  neglige  attire.  Nevertheless, 
distrust  poisoned  her  happiness  on  the  rare  occasions 
when  she  ventured  to  abandon  herself  to  happiness. 
She  asked  herself  if  Claes  were  not  seeking  her 
hand  in  order  to  have  a  slave  in  his  house,  if  he  had 
not  some  secret  imperfections  which  compelled  him 
to  be  content  with  a  poor,  deformed  girl.  These  con- 
stantly recurring  anxieties  gave  immeasurable  value 


THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE  39 

to  the  hours  when  she  believed  in  the  sincerity  and 
constancy  of  a  love  which  was  to  avenge  her  upon 
society.     She  provoked  discussions  on  delicate  sub- 
jects, exaggerating  her  ugliness,  in  order  to  penetrate 
to  the  lowest  depths  of  her  lover's  conscience,  and 
extorted  from  Balthazar  truths  that  were  far  from 
flattering;   but  she  loved  his  embarrassment  when 
she  had  led  him  on  to  say  that  what  one  loved  in 
woman  was,  before  all  else,  a  lovely  mind,  and  the 
devotion   which    makes    one's   days    so   constantly 
happy  that,  after  a  few  years  of  married  life,  the 
loveliest  woman  on  earth  is,  in  a  husband's  eyes, 
synonymous  with  the  ugliest.      After  piling  up  all 
the  truths  to  be  found  in  the  paradoxes  which  tend 
to  decry  the  worth  of  beauty,  Balthazar  would  sud- 
denly awake  to  the   discourtesy  of  those  proposi- 
tions,   and   would    display  all   the  goodness  of   his 
heart  in  the  delicacy  of  the  transitions  by  which  he 
would  succeed  in  proving  to  Mademoiselle  de  Tem- 
ninck  that  she  was  perfect  in  his  eyes.     Self-sacri- 
fice, which   in  woman  may,  perhaps,  be  called  the 
crowning  point  of  love,  was  not  lacking  in  her,  for 
she  had  no  thought  of  being  always  loved;  but  the 
prospect  of  a  struggle  in  which  sentiment  might  carry 
the  day  over  beauty  tempted  her;  moreover,  there 
seemed  to  her  to  be  a  touch  of  grandeur  in  giving 
herself  without  believing  in  love;  and,  lastly,  happi- 
ness, however  brief  its  duration,  was  likely  to  cost 
her  so  dear  that  she  could  not  refuse   to  taste   it. 
These  uncertainties,  these  combats,   infecting  that 
superior  creature  with  the  charm  of  passion  and  its 


40  THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE 

unexpectedness,  inspired  Balthazar  with  an  almost 
chivalrous  love. 

The  marriage  took  place  early  in  1795.  The  hus- 
band and  wife  returned  to  Douai  to  pass  the  first 
days  of  their  wedded  life  in  the  patriarchal  house  of 
the  Claes  family,  its  treasures  being  increased  by 
Mademoiselle  de  Temninck,  who  contributed  several 
fine  pictures  by  Murillo  and  Velasquez,  her  mother's 
diamonds,  and  the  superb  presents  sent  her  by  her 
brother,  now  Duke  of  Casa-Real.  Few  wives  were 
happier  than  Madame  Claes.  Her  happiness  lasted 
fifteen  years,  without  the  slightest  cloud  ;  and  it 
found  its  way,  like  a  bright  light,  into  the  trivial 
details  of  existence.  Most  men  have  inequalities 
of  disposition  which  produce  constant  discords;  thus 
they  deprive  their  home  life  of  that  harmony  which 
is  the  beau-ideal  of  a  happy  household  ;  for  most 
men  are  afflicted  with  a  strain  of  pettiness,  and 
pettiness  leads  to  bickering.  One  will  be  upright 
and  energetic,  but  stern  and  rough-mannered  ;  an- 
other will  be  kind-hearted  but  obstinate;  this  one 
will  love  his  wife,  but  will  have  a  vacillating  will  ; 
that  one,  engrossed  by  ambition,  will  discharge  his 
sentiments  as  a  debt ;  although  he  confers  the  vani- 
ties that  fortune  carries  in  its  train,  he  takes  away 
every-day  enjoyment ;  in  short,  most  men  in  the 
social  sphere  are  essentially  incomplete,  without 
being  notably  blameworthy.  Men  of  intellect  are 
as  variable  as  barometers,  genius  alone  is  kindly  in 
its  essence.  So  it  is  that  pure  happiness  is  found 
at  the  two  extremities  of  the  moral  scale.     Only  the 


THE  QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE  41 

good-natured  idiot  and  the  man  of  genius  are  capa- 
ble, the  one  through  weakness,  the  other  through 
strength,  of  that  even  disposition,  of  that  constant 
gentleness,  in  which  the  asperities  of  life  melt  away. 
In  the  one,  it  is  indifference  and  passive  submis- 
sion; in  the  other,  it  is  indulgence  and  continuity  of 
the  sublime  thought  of  which  it  is  the  interpreter; 
and  which  must  resemble  itself  in  principle  no  less 
than  in  the  application  thereof.  Both  are  equally 
simple  and  ingenuous:  only  in  the  one,  it  is  empti- 
ness; in  the  other,  depth.  So  that  shrewd  women 
are  strongly  inclined  to  take  an  idiot  as  the  best 
substitute  for  a  great  man. 

Balthazar  at  first  displayed  his  superior  character 
in  the  most  trivial  details  of  life.  He  chose  to  look 
upon  conjugal  love  as  a  superb  creation,  and,  like 
all  men  of  lofty  vision  who  can  endure  nothing  im- 
perfect, he  wished  to  unfold  all  its  beauties.  His 
wit  constantly  varied  the  tranquil  monotony  of  hap- 
piness, his  noble  character  stamped  his  attentions 
with  the  seal  of  grace.  Hence,  although  he  believed 
in  the  philosophical  principles  of  the  eighteenth  cen- 
tury, he  harbored  a  Catholic  priest  in  his  house 
until  1 801,  despite  the  risks  that  he  ran  under  the 
revolutionary  laws,  in  order  not  to  disappoint  the 
fanatical  Spanish  attachment  to  Roman  Catholi- 
cism which  his  wife  had  imbibed  with  her  mother's 
milk;  and,  when  that  form  of  worship  was  re-estab- 
lished in  France,  he  accompanied  his  wife  to  mass 
every  Sunday.  His  attachment  never  laid  aside  the 
outward  forms  of  passion.     He  never  put  forth  in 


42  THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE 

his  household  that  protecting  strength  which  women 
like  so  well,  because,  in  relation  to  his  wife,  it 
would  have  seemed  like  pity.  In  short,  with  the 
most  ingenious  flattery,  he  treated  her  as  his  equal 
and  indulged  from  time  to  time  in  one  of  the  amia- 
ble pets  in  which  a  man  ventures  to  indulge  with  a 
lovely  woman,  as  if  to  defy  her  superiority.  His 
lips  were  always  embellished  by  the  smile  of  happi- 
ness, and  his  words  always  overflowed  with  gen- 
tleness. He  loved  his  Josephine  for  her  sake  and 
for  his  own,  with  that  ardor  which  implies  constant 
praise  of  a  wife's  good  qualities  and  charms.  Fidel- 
ity, often  the  result  of  a  social  principle,  of  religion, 
or  of  calculation  in  husbands,  seemed  instinctive  in 
him,  and  was  accompanied  by  the  sweet  flatteries  of 
the  springtime  of  love.  Duty  was  the  only  obliga- 
tion of  marriage  which  was  unknown  to  those  two 
equally  loving  creatures,  for  Balthazar  Claes  found 
in  Mademoiselle  de  Temninck  a  complete  and  never- 
failing  realization  of  his  hopes.  In  him  the  heart 
was  always  sated  without  fatigue,  and  the  man 
always  happy. 

Not  only  did  the  Spanish  blood  do  its  perfect  work 
in  the  granddaughter  of  the  Casa-Reals,  and  make 
the  science  of  varying  pleasure  ad  infinitum  instinc- 
tive in  her,  but  she  also  possessed  that  unbounded 
devotion  which  is  the  genius  of  her  sex,  as  grace  is 
all  its  beauty.  Her  love  was  a  blind  fanaticism, 
which  would  have  caused  her  to  go  joyously  forth  to 
death  at  a  single  nod  of  his  head.  Balthazar's  deli- 
cacy of  feeling  had  exalted  in  her  the  most  generous 


THE  QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE  43 

sentiments  of  her  sex,  and  aroused  an  imperious 
longin^  to  give  more  than  she  received.  This 
mutual  exchange  of  happiness  which  they  lavished 
alternately  upon  each  other,  plainly  established 
the  principle  of  her  life  outside  of  her  person,  and 
caused  an  ever-growing  love  to  manifest  itself  in  her 
words,  her  glances,  her  acts.  On  both  sides,  grati- 
tude made  fruitful  and  varied  the  heart's  life;  just 
as  the  certainty  that  they  were  all  in  all  to  each 
other  excluded  all  pettiness  by  magnifying  the 
smallest  accessories  of  existence. 

Furthermore,  is  not  the  deformed  woman  who  is 
straight  in  her  husband's  eyes,  the  lame  woman 
whom  a  man  would  not  have  other  than  she  is,  or 
the  mature  woman  who  seems  young,  the  happiest 
creature  in  all  the  world  of  women?  Human  pas- 
sion can  go  no  further  than  that.  The  glory  of 
woman  consists  in  compelling  adoration  of  what 
seems  a  defect  in  her.  To  forget  that  a  lame 
woman  does  not  walk  straight  is  the  illusion  of  a 
moment;  but  to  love  her  because  she  is  lame  is  to 
deify  her  imperfection.  Perhaps  this  sentence 
should  be  written  in  the  Gospel  of  women:  Blessed 
are  the  imperfectly  made,  for  theirs  is  the  kingdom  of 
love.  Surely  beauty  is  likely  to  prove  a  misfortune 
to  a  woman,  for  that  ephemeral  flower  counts  for 
too  much  in  the  passion  she  inspires;  a  man  loves  a 
beautiful  woman  as  he  marries  a  wealthy  heiress. 
But  the  love  kindled  or  manifested  by  a  woman 
deprived  of  the  insecure  advantage  after  which 
the  sons  of  Adam  run,  is  the  true  love,  the  truly 


44  THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE 

mysterious  passion,  the  fervent  embrace  of  souls,  the 
sentiment  that  never  knows  its  day  of  disenchant- 
ment. Such  a  woman  possesses  charms  unknown 
to  the  world,  whose  yoke  she  casts  aside,  she  is 
beautiful  at  the  proper  time,  and  she  reaps  too  much 
glory  by  compelling  forgetfulness  of  her  imperfec- 
tions, not  to  be  always  successful  in  so  doing.  So 
we  find  that  almost  all  the  most  famous  passions 
in  history  have  been  inspired  by  women  in  whom 
the  ordinary  man  would  have  discovered  defects. 
Cleopatra,  Joanna  of  Naples,  Diane  de  Poitiers, 
Mademoiselle  de  la  Valliere,  Madame  de  Pompadour, 
in  fact,  most  of  the  women  whom  love  has  made 
famous  lacked  neither  imperfections  nor  infirmities; 
whereas  most  of  the  women  whose  beauty  is  said 
to  have  been  without  imperfection  have  lived  to  see 
their  loves  end  unhappily.  This  anomaly  must  have 
a  cause.  Perhaps  man  lives  by  sentiment  rather  than 
by  pleasure?  perhaps  the  wholly  physical  charm  of 
a  beautiful  woman  has  limits,  while  the  essentially 
moral  charm  of  a  woman  of  moderate  beauty  is  infi- 
nite? Is  not  this  the  moral  upon  which  the  Thousand 
and  One  Nights  rest?  An  ugly  woman  as  the  wife  of 
Henry  VIII.  would  have  defied  the  axe  and  overcome 
the  inconstancy  of  her  lord  and  master. 

By  an  anomaly  readily  explained  in  a  young 
woman  of  Spanish  origin,  Madame  Claes  was  un- 
educated. She  knew  how  to  read  and  write,  but, 
up  to  the  age  of  twenty,  when  her  parents  took  her 
from  the  convent,  she  had  read  none  but  ascetic 
works.     On  entering  society,  she  thirsted  at  first 


THE   QUEST  OF  THE   ABSOLUTE  45 

for  the  pleasures  of  society,  and  learned  only  the 
useless  acquirements  of  the  toilet;  but  she  was  so 
deeply  humiliated  by  her  ignorance,  that  she  dared 
not  take  part  in  any  conversation;  so  that  she  was 
considered  to  have  but  little  intelligence.  That 
education  in  mystic  lore  had  resulted,  however,  in 
leaving  her  sentiments  in  their  full  strength,  and  had 
not  impaired  her  natural  wit.  Stupid  and  ugly  as  an 
heiress  in  the  eyes  of  the  world,  she  became  clever 
and  beautiful  for  her  husband.  Balthazar  did  his 
best,  during  the  first  years  of  their  married  life,  to 
impart  to  his  wife  such  accomplishments  as  she  re- 
quired to  stand  well  in  society;  but  it  was  evidently 
too  late,  she  remembered  only  with  the  heart.  Jose- 
phine forgot  nothing  of  what  Claes  told  her  with 
regard  to  themselves;  she  remembered  the  least 
important  details  of  her  happy  life,  but  forgot  the 
lesson  of  one  day  before  the  morrow. 

Such  ignorance  would  have  caused  much  discord 
between  other  husbands  and  wives;  but  Madame 
Claes  was  endowed  with  so  artless  a  comprehension 
of  passion,  she  loved  her  husband  so  piously,  so 
devotedly,  and  the  desire  to  retain  her  happiness 
made  her  so  clever,  that  she  always  managed  to 
seem  to  understand,  and  the  moments  were  very 
rare  when  she  allowed  her  ignorance  to  be  too 
evident.  Moreover,  when  two  persons  love  each 
other  so  dearly  that  every  day  is  to  them  as  the 
first  day  of  their  passion,  there  exist  in  that  fruit- 
ful happiness  phenomena  which  change  all  the  con- 
ditions of  life.     It  becomes  like  a  sort  of  childhood, 


46  THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE 

heedless  of  everything  that  is  not  laughter,  joy, 
pleasure.  And  then,  when  life  is  very  active,  when 
its  fires  burn  very  brightly,  man  allows  the  com- 
bustion to  go  on  without  thinking  of  it  or  opposing 
it,  without  measuring  means  or  end.  Never,  by  the 
way,  did  one  of  Eve's  daughters  understand  better 
than  Madame  Claes  the  duties  of  a  wife.  She  had 
that  submissive  nature,  characteristic  of  the  Flemish 
woman,  which  makes  the  domestic  fireside  so  attrac- 
tive, and  to  which  her  Spanish  pride  gave  a  keener 
relish.  She  was  imposing,  could  command  respect 
by  a  glance  in  which  the  consciousness  of  her  worth 
and  her  nobility  was  clearly  reflected;  but  before 
Claes  she  trembled;  and  she  had  at  last  reached  a 
point  where  she  placed  him  so  high  and  so  near  to 
God,  viewing  every  act  of  her  life  and  her  most 
trivial  thoughts  in  their  relation  to  him,  that  her 
love  was  always  tinged  with  a  respectful  fear  which 
made  it  still  deeper.  She  adopted  with  pride  all  the 
habits  of  the  Flemish  burgher  class,  and  staked  her 
self-esteem  upon  making  their  home  life  comfortable 
and  happy,  maintaining  the  classic  neatness  of  the 
household  in  the  smallest  details,  possessing  only 
those  things  which  were  absolutely  good,  supply- 
ing the  table  with  the  most  appetizing  dishes,  and 
making  everything  in  her  house  harmonize  with  the 
life  of  their  hearts. 

T  hey  had  two  sons  and  two  daughters.  The  oldest, 
Marguerite,  was  born  in  1796.  The  last  child  was 
a  boy,  three  years  old,  and  named  Jean-Balthazar. 
The  sentiment  of  motherhood  in  Madame  Claes  was 


THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE  47 

almost  equal  to  her  love  for  her  husband.  So  that 
there  took  place  in  her  heart,  especially  during  the 
last  part  of  her  life,  a  terrible  battle  between  those 
two  equally  powerful  sentiments,  one  of  which  had, 
in  a  certain  sense,  become  the  enemy  of  the  other. 
Her  tears  and  the  terror  stamped  upon  her  face  at 
the  moment  when  the  curtain  rises  upon  the  domestic 
drama  hovering  over  that  peaceable  household  were 
caused  by  the  fear  that  she  had  sacrificed  her  children 
to  her  husband. 

In  1805,  Madame  Claes's  brother  died  childless. 
The  Spanish  law  forbade  the  sister's  succession  to 
the  territorial  possessions  which  formed  the  appan- 
age of  the  family  title;  but,  by  his  will,  the  duke 
bequeathed  her  about  sixty  thousand  ducats,  of 
which  the  heirs  of  the  collateral  branch  did  not 
attempt  to  deprive  her.  Although  the  sentiment 
which  united  her  to  Balthazar  Claes  was  of  such  a 
nature  that  no  thought  of  self-interest  had  ever 
sullied  it,  Josephine  felt  a  sort  of  satisfaction  in  the 
possession  of  a  fortune  equal  to  her  husband's,  and 
was  overjoyed  to  be  able  to  offer  him  something  after 
having,  with  such  noble  dignity,  accepted  everything 
from  him.  And  so  chance  willed  that  that  marriage, 
which  calculating  minds  looked  upon  as  madness, 
turned  out  an  excellent  one  even  from  a  financial 
standpoint. 

The  use  to  be  made  of  that  sum  was  difficult  to 
determine.  Claes  House  was  so  abundantly  sup- 
plied with  furniture,  pictures,  objects  of  art  and  of 
value,  that  it  seemed  hardly  possible  to  add  to  the 


48  THE  QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE 

store  anything  worthy  of  a  place  beside  what  it 
already  contained.  The  good  taste  of  the  family 
had  accumulated  genuine  treasures.  One  genera- 
tion had  devoted  itself  to  the  search  for  fine  pic- 
tures; then  the  necessity  of  completing  the  collection 
that  generation  had  begun  made  the  taste  for  paint- 
ing hereditary.  The  hundred  or  more  pictures  which 
adorned  the  gallery  connecting  the  house  in  the  rear 
with  the  reception-rooms  on  the  first  floor  of  the 
house  in  front,  as  well  as  some  fifty  others  hung  in 
the  chief  salons,  had  required  three  centuries  of 
patient  research.  There  were  celebrated  examples 
of  Rubens,  Ruysdael,  Van  Dyck,  Terburg,  Gerard 
Dow,  Teniers,  Mieris,  Paul  Potter,  Wouwermans, 
Rembrandt,  Hobbema,  Cranach,  and  Holbein.  The 
Italian  and  French  pictures  were  in  the  minority, 
but  all  were  authentic  and  of  the  first  importance. 
Another  generation  had  had  a  fancy  for  Chinese  or 
Japanese  porcelain  services.  One  Claes  was  pas- 
sionately fond  of  furniture,  another  of  silverware;  in 
short,  each  of  them  had  had  his  special  mania,  his 
craze,  one  of  the  most  marked  features  of  the  Flem- 
ish character.  Balthazar's  father,  the  last  relic  of 
the  famous  Dutch  society,  had  left  one  of  the  finest 
collections  of  tulips  ever  known. 

In  addition  to  these  hereditary  treasures,  which 
represented  an  enormous  capital  and  furnished  the 
old  house  magnificently, — a  house  as  simple  exter- 
nally as  a  shell,  but  a  shell  arrayed  in  the  richest 
and  most  brilliant  colors  within, — Balthazar  Claes 
owned   a  country  house  in  the  plain  of   Orchies. 


THE  QUEST  OF  THE   ABSOLUTE  49 

Instead  of  basing  his  expenses  on  his  income,  as  the 
French  do,  he  had  followed  the  old  Dutch  custom  of 
spending  only  a  fourth  of  it;  and  twelve  hundred 
ducats  a  year  brought  his  expenses  to  the  level  of 
those  of  the  wealthiest  people  in  the  town.  The 
publication  of  the  Civil  Code  justified  his  prudence. 
The  title  successions,  providing  for  the  equal  divi- 
sion of  property,  was  likely  to  leave  each  child  poor, 
and  at  some  time  to  disperse  the  treasure  of  the 
old  Claes  museum.  Balthazar,  by  agreement  with 
Madame  Claes,  invested  her  fortune  in  such  a  way 
as  to  give  each  of  their  children  a  position  similar  to 
the  father's.  The  Claes  family  therefore  persisted  in 
its  modest  mode  of  life  and  purchased  forests  which 
had  been  somewhat  maltreated  by  the  wars  which  had 
taken  place,  but  which,  if  carefully  preserved,  would 
became  enormously  valuable  in  ten  years. 

The  first  society  of  Douai,  to  which  Monsieur 
Claes  belonged,  had  so  thoroughly  appreciated  his 
wife's  noble  character  and  excellent  qualities,  that, 
by  a  sort  of  tacit  agreement,  she  was  exempted 
from  the  social  duties  to  which  provincials  attach 
so  much  importance.  During  the  winter  season, 
which  she  passed  in  the  city,  she  went  rarely  into 
society,  and  society  came  to  her.  She  received 
every  Wednesday,  and  gave  three  large  dinner- 
parties a  month.  Everyone  realized  that  she  was 
more  at  ease  in  her  own  house,  to  which  she  was 
confined,  moreover,  by  her  passion  for  her  husband 
and  the  care  demanded  by  the  education  of  her 
children. 
4 


50  THE  QUEST  OF  THE   ABSOLUTE 

Such  was,  up  to  1809,  the  course  of  affairs  in  that 
household,  utterly  at  variance  with  all  received  ideas. 
The  life  of  those  two,  secretly  overflowing  with  love 
and  joy,  was  externally  like  the  lives  of  their  fellow- 
creatures.  Balthazar  Claes's  passion  for  his  wife, 
which  his  wife  knew  how  to  perpetuate,  seemed,  as 
he  himself  remarked,  to  employ  its  inborn  constancy 
in  cultivating  happiness,  which  was  quite  as  well 
worth  while  as  the  cultivation  of  tulips,  toward 
which  he  had  been  inclined  from  his  childhood,  and 
relieved  him  from  the  necessity  of  having  his  mania, 
as  each  of  his  ancestors  had  had. 


Toward  the  end  of  that  year,  Balthazar's  mind 
and  manners  underwent  a  deplorable  change,  which 
began  so  naturally  that  at  first  Madame  Claes  did 
not  think  it  necessary  to  ask  him  the  cause  of  it. 
One  night  her  husband  went  to  bed  in  a  preoccupied 
state  which  she  felt  it  to  be  her  duty  to  respect. 
Her  woman's  delicacy  and  her  habit  of  submission 
had  led  her  to  await  Balthazar's  confidences,  for  his 
trust  in  her  was  guaranteed  by  an  affection  so  true 
that  it  afforded  no  foothold  for  her  jealousy.  Al- 
though she  was  sure  to  obtain  a  reply  whenever  she 
should  venture  to  ask  an  inquisitive  question,  she 
had  always  retained,  as  a  result  of  her  first  impres- 
sions of  life,  the  fear  of  a  refusal.  Moreover,  her 
husband's  moral  malady  had  well-defined  phases, 
and  progressed  by  steps  gradually  increasing  in 
length  to  the  intolerable  violence  which  destroyed 
the  happiness  of  her  home.  However  engrossed 
Balthazar  might  be,  he  continued,  none  the  less, 
for  several  months,  to  be  talkative  and  affectionate, 
and  the  change  in  his  disposition  manifested  itself 
only  by  frequent  fits  of  abstraction.  Madame  Claes 
hoped  for  a  long  while  to  learn  from  her  husband  the 
secret  of  his  labors;  perhaps  he  preferred  not  to  avow 
it  until  the  moment  when  they  were  about  to  end  in 
satisfactory  results,  for  many  men  have  a  species  of 

(50 


52  THE  QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE 

pride  which  impels  them  to  conceal  their  struggles 
and  not  to  appear  until  they  have  won  the  victory. 
On  the  day  of  triumph,  therefore,  domestic  happi- 
ness was  sure  to  reappear,  all  the  more  resplendent 
because  Balthazar  would  notice  that  hiatus  in  his  life 
of  love,  which  his  heart  would  doubtless  disavow. 

Josephine  knew  her  husband  well  enough  to  be 
certain  that  he  would  never  forgive  himself  for 
having  made  his  Pepita  less  happy  than  usual  for 
several  months.  So  she  held  her  peace,  conscious 
of  a  sort  of  joy  in  suffering  through  him,  for  him; 
for  her  passion  had  a  shade  of  that  Spanish  piety 
which  never  separates  faith  from  love,  and  does  not 
understand  profound  sentiment  unaccompanied  by 
suffering.  She  waited  for  his  affection  to  return, 
saying  to  herself  every  night:  "  It  will  come  to- 
morrow!" and  thinking  of  her  happiness  as  of  an 
absent  friend.  Her  last  child  was  conceived  in  the 
midst  of  these  secret  anxieties.  Ghastly  revelation  of 
a  future  sorrow!  At  that  time,  love  was,  as  it  were, 
among  her  husband's  distractions,  but  a  distraction 
more  powerful  than  the  others.  Her  womanly  pride, 
wounded  for  the  first  time,  caused  her  to  measure 
the  depth  of  the  unknown  abyss  which  separated  her 
forever  from  the  Claes  of  the  earlier  years.  From 
that  moment,  Balthazar's  condition  grew  worse.  That 
man,  who  but  a  short  time  before  was  constantly  im- 
mersed in  domestic  joys,  who  played  with  his  chil- 
dren for  hours  at  a  time,  rolled  with  them  on  the 
parlor  floor,  or  on  the  paths  in  the  garden,  and  seemed 
to  live  only  under  his  Pepita's  black  eyes,  did  not 


THE  QUEST  OF  THE   ABSOLUTE  53 

notice  his  wife's  condition,  forgot  to  live  en  famillc, 
forgot  himself. 

The  longer  Madame  Claes  postponed  asking  him 
the  cause  of  his  preoccupation,  the  less  she  dared  do 
it.  At  the  thought,  her  blood  rushed  madly  through 
her  veins  and  her  voice  failed  her.  At  last,  she  con- 
cluded that  she  was  no  longer  attractive  to  her  hus- 
band, and  thereupon  she  became  seriously  alarmed. 
That  fear  engrossed  her  thoughts,  drove  her  to  de- 
spair, excited  her,  became  the  cause  of  many  melan- 
choly hours  and  mournful  reveries.  She  justified 
Balthazar  at  her  own  expense,  accusing  herself  of 
being  old  and  ugly;  then  she  detected  a  generous 
thought,  although  humiliating  to  her,  in  the  constant 
labor  by  means  of  which  he  maintained  a  negative 
fidelity,  and  sought  to  restore  her  freedom  by  tacitly 
assenting  to  one  of  those  secret  divorces  which 
explain  the  happiness  that  many  families  seem  to 
enjoy.  Nevertheless,  before  bidding  farewell  to  con- 
jugal life,  she  tried  to  read  the  depths  of  that  heart, 
but  she  found  it  closed.  She  saw  that  Balthazar 
insensibly  became  indifferent  to  all  that  he  had 
loved,  neglected  his  flowering  tulips,  and  ceased  to 
think  of  his  children.  Doubtless  he  was  given  over 
to  some  passion,  outside  of  the  affections  of  the 
heart,  to  be  sure,  but  tending  none  the  less,  as  viewed 
by  women,  to  wither  the  heart.  Love  had  gone  to 
sleep  but  had  not  flown  away.  Even  if  that  were  a 
consolation,  her  unhappiness  was  none  the  less  real. 

The  long  duration  of  that  crisis  is  explained  by 
a  single  word,  hope,  the  key  to   all  such  conjugal 


54  THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE 

situations.  When  the  poor  woman  reached  a  degree 
of  despair  which  inspired  her  with  courage  to  ques- 
tion her  husband,  then,  and  not  till  then,  did  she 
again  know  happy  moments,  during  which  Balthazar 
proved  to  her  that,  although  he  was  under  the  spell 
of  some  diabolical  thought,  it  permitted  him  at  times 
to  become  himself  once  more.  During  those  mo- 
ments when  her  sky  grew  brighter,  she  was  too 
eager  to  enjoy  her  happiness  to  annoy  him  by  her 
importunities;  and  then,  when  she  had  summoned 
courage  to  question  him,  at  the  very  moment  when 
she  was  about  to  speak,  he  would  escape  from  her, 
leave  her  abruptly,  or  fall  once  more  into  the  abyss  of 
his  meditations,  from  which  nothing  could  entice  him. 
Ere  long  the  reaction  of  the  mental  system  upon 
the  physical  began  its  ravages,  imperceptible  at  first, 
but  visible  none  the  less  to  the  eyes  of  a  loving  wife 
who  followed  her  husband's  secret  thought  in  its 
slightest  manifestations.  Often  she  had  difficulty 
in  restraining  her  tears  when  she  watched  him, 
after  dinner,  buried  in  an  easy-chair  by  the  hearth, 
gloomy  and  pensive,  his  eyes  fixed  upon  a  dark 
panel,  regardless  of  the  silence  that  reigned  all  about 
him.  She  remarked  with  terror  the  gradual  altera- 
tions which  impaired  the  beauty  of  that  face  which 
love  had  made  sublime  for  her;  day  by  day,  the  life 
of  the  soul  withdrew  from  it  more  and  more,  and 
the  framework  was  left  without  any  expression. 
Sometimes  the  eyes  had  a  vitreous  look,  it  seemed 
as  if  the  sight  were  turning  inward  and  searching 
the  mind.     When  the  children  had  gone  to  bed,  if 


THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE  55 

poor  Pepita,  her  mind  filled  with  horrible  thoughts, 
sometimes  ventured  to  ask  after  hours  of  silence  and 
solitude:  "Aren't  you  feeling  well,  dear?"  Balthazar 
would  not  reply;  or,  if  he  did  reply,  he  would  come 
to  himself  with  a  start  like  a  man  suddenly  awakened 
from  sleep,  and  utter  a  dull,  cavernous  no,  which  fell 
like  a  heavy  weight  upon  his  trembling  wife's  heart. 

Although  she  would  have  liked  to  conceal  from 
her  friends  the  curious  situation  in  which  she  found 
herself,  she  was,  nevertheless,  obliged  to  speak 
of  it.  According  to  the  custom  prevalent  in  small 
towns,  Balthazar's  apparent  derangement  had  al- 
ready become  a  subject  of  conversation  in  most 
salons,  and  in  some  circles  certain  details  were 
known  of  which  Madame  Claes  was  entirely  igno- 
rant. And  so,  notwithstanding  the  reserve  enjoined 
by  politeness,  some  of  her  friends  displayed  such 
keen  anxiety  that  she  made  haste  to  justify  her 
husband's  peculiar  conduct. 

"  Monsieur  Balthazar,"  she  said,  "  has  under- 
taken a  very  important  work  which  engrosses  his 
whole  time  and  thought,  but  which,  if  successful, 
will  bring  glory  to  his  family  and  to  his  country." 

That  mysterious  explanation  was  so  flattering  to 
the  ambition  of  a  town  in  which  love  of  country  and 
desire  for  its  pre-eminence  are  more  intense  than  in 
any  other,  that  it  could  not  fail  to  produce  in  men's 
minds  a  reaction  favorable  to  Monsieur  Claes.  His 
wife's  conclusions  were,  up  to  a  certain  point,  well- 
founded.  Several  mechanics  of  various  trades  had 
been  working  for  a  long  while  in  the  garret  of  the 


56  THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE 

house  in  front,  whither  Balthazar  betook  himself 
early  in  the  morning.  After  making  his  visits  there 
longer  and  longer,  until  his  wife  and  servants  had 
gradually  become  accustomed  to  them,  Balthazar  at 
last  began  to  stay  there  all  day.  But  Madame  Claes 
learned  through  the  humiliating  confidences  of  her 
kind  friends,  who  were  amazed  at  her  ignorance, — 
and  a  terrible  grief  it  was  to  her! — that  her  husband 
was  constantly  purchasing  in  Paris  physical  instru- 
ments, valuable  substances,  books,  apparatus,  and 
was  ruining  himself,  they  said,  searching  for  the 
philosopher's  stone.  She  ought  to  think  of  her 
children,  her  friends  added,  and  of  her  own  future; 
it  would  be  criminal  for  her  not  to  exert  her  influence 
to  turn  her  husband  aside  from  the  false  path  upon 
which  he  had  started. 

Although  Madame  Claes  summoned  her  imposing, 
grande  dame  manner  to  put  an  end  to  these  absurd 
speeches,  she  was  terror-stricken  despite  her  appar- 
ent self-assurance,  and  determined  to  lay  aside  her 
role  of  self-abnegation.  She  led  up  to  one  of  those 
situations  during  which  a  woman  is  on  a  footing  of 
equality  with  her  husband;  less  fearful  thus,  she 
ventured  to  ask  Balthazar  the  reason  of  his  change 
of  manner  and  the  explanation  of  his  constant  se- 
clusion. The  Fleming  frowned  and  answered: 
"  My  dear,  you  would  not  understand." 
One  day,  Josephine  insisted  upon  knowing  the 
secret,  complaining  gently  that  she  was  not  allowed 
to  share  all  the  thoughts  of  him  whose  life  she 
shared. 


THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE  57 

"  Since  you  are  so  deeply  interested,"  replied  Bal- 
thazar, taking  his  wife  on  his  knees  and  kissing  her 
black  hair,  "I  will  tell  you  that  I  have  taken  up 
chemistry  again,  and  I  am  the  happiest  man  on 
earth." 

Two  years  after  the  winter  when  Monsieur  Claes 
had  turned  chemist,  his  house  had  changed  its  aspect. 
Whether  society  was  offended  at  the  scientist's  in- 
cessant absent-mindedness  or  was  afraid  of  annoy- 
ing him,  or  whether  Madame  Claes's  secret  anxieties 
had  made  her  less  agreeable,  she  no  longer  saw  any 
but  her  most  intimate  friends.  Balthazar  went  no- 
where, shut  himself  up  in  his  laboratory  during  the 
whole  day,  sometimes  remained  there  at  night,  and 
appeared  in  the  bosom  of  his  family  only  at  the 
dinner-hour.  The  second  year  he  did  not  go  to  his 
country  house  in  summer,  and  his  wife  was  unwill- 
ing to  live  there  alone.  Sometimes  Balthazar  left 
the  house  and  did  not  return  until  the  next  day, 
leaving  Madame  Claes  a  prey  to  mortal  anxiety  for 
a  whole  night;  after  causing  a  fruitless  search  to  be 
made  for  him  from  end  to  end  of  a  town  where  the 
gates  were  closed  at  night  according  to  the  custom 
in  fortified  places,  she  could  not  send  into  the  coun- 
try after  him.  So  that  the  unhappy  woman  had  not 
even  the  hope  blended  with  anguish  which  suspense 
causes,  but  must  suffer  until  the  morning.  Bal- 
thazar, who  had  forgotten  at  what  hour  the  gates 
were  closed,  would  calmly  appear  the  next  day, 
without  a  suspicion  of  the  torture  his  absent-minded- 
ness must  have  inflicted  on  his  family;  and  the  joy 


58  THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE 

of  seeing  him  again  was  to  his  wife  a  source  of  agita- 
tion as  dangerous  as  her  apprehensions;  she  would 
say  nothing,  afraid  to  question  him,  for  when  she 
did  venture  to  question  him  the  first  time,  he  re- 
plied, with  an  air  of  surprise: 

"  Well,  well  !  can't  I  take  a  walk?" 

The  passions  cannot  deceive.  So  that  Madame 
Claes's  anxiety  confirmed  the  reports  she  had  taken 
pleasure  in  contradicting.  Her  youth  had  accustomed 
her  to  the  polite  compassion  of  society;  in  order  not 
to  undergo  it  a  second  time,  she  confined  herself 
more  closely  than  ever  within  the  four  walls  of  her 
house,  which  everybody  deserted,  even  her  closest 
friends.  Slovenliness  in  dress,  always  so  degrading 
in  a  man  of  culture  and  station,  became  so  marked  in 
Balthazar  that  it  was  not  the  least  poignant  of  the 
many  causes  of  unhappiness  by  which  his  wife  was 
beset,  accustomed  as  she  was  to  the  exquisite  neat- 
ness of  the  Flemings.  In  concert  with  Lemulquinier, 
her  husband's  valet,  Josephine  repaired  for  some  time 
the  daily  dilapidation  of  his  clothes,  but  she  had  to 
abandon  the  undertaking.  On  the  very  day  when, 
unknown  to  Balthazar,  new  garments  had  been  sub- 
stituted for  those  which  were  soiled  or  torn,  he  made 
rags  of  them. 

That  woman,  who  had  been  perfectly  happy  for 
fifteen  years,  and  whose  jealousy  had  never  been 
aroused,  suddenly  discovered  that  she  had  appar- 
ently ceased  to  count  for  anything  in  the  heart 
where  she  lately  held  sway.  Spanish  by  descent, 
the  sentiment  natural  to  Spanish  women  made  itself 


THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE  59 

heard  in  her  when  she  detected  a  rival  in  the  science 
which  took  her  husband  from  her;  the  torments  of 
jealousy  tore  her  heart  and  added  fuel  to  her  love. 
But  what  could  she  do  against  science?  how  could 
she  combat  its  constantly  increasing,  tyrannical 
power?  how  slay  an  invisible  rival?  How  can  a 
woman,  whose  power  is  limited  by  nature,  contend 
against  an  idea  whose  delights  are  infinite  and  its 
attractions  always  new?  To  what  could  she  resort 
to  neutralize  the  coquetry  of  ideas,  which  renew 
their  freshness  and  beauty  in  difficulties,  and  lead 
a  man  so  far  from  the  world  that  he  forgets  even 
his  most  cherished  affections? 

At  last,  one  day,  notwithstanding  the  strict  orders 
Balthazar  had  given,  his  wife  determined  that,  at  all 
events,  she  would  not  leave  him,  that  she  would 
shut  herself  up  with  him  in  the  garret  where  he 
passed  his  time,  and  would  fight  hand  to  hand  with 
her  rival,  assisting  her  husband  during  the  long 
hours  that  he  lavished  upon  that  redoubtable  mis- 
tress. She  determined  to  insinuate  herself  secretly 
into  that  mysterious  workshop  of  seduction,  and 
to  acquire  the  right  to  remain  there  always.  She 
attempted,  therefore,  to  share  with  Lemulquinier 
the  right  to  enter  the  laboratory;  but,  in  order  that 
he  might  not  be  a  witness  of  the  quarrel  which 
she  dreaded,  she  waited  until  a  day  when  her  hus- 
band dispensed  with  the  services  of  his  valet.  For 
some  time  she  had  been  watching  the  servant's 
goings  and  comings  with  wrathful  impatience.  Did 
not  he  know  all  that  she  wished  to  know,  all  that 


60  THE  QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE 

her  husband  concealed  from  her,  all  that  she  dared 
not  ask  him?  she  considered  that  Lemulquinier  was 
preferred  to  her,  to  her,  the  wife! 

She  went  to  the  garret,  therefore,  trembling  with 
excitement  and  almost  happy;  but,  for  the  first  time 
in  her  life,  she  knew  Balthazar's  wrath.  She  had 
hardly  opened  the  door,  when  he  rushed  at  her, 
seized  her,  and  pushed  her  roughly  back  into  the  hall, 
where  she  nearly  fell  from  top  to  bottom  of  the  stairs. 

"God  be  praised,  you  are  still  alive!"  cried  Bal- 
thazar, raising  her  from  the  floor. 

A  glass  mask  had  broken  and  fallen  in  a  thousand 
pieces  over  Madame  Claes,  who  saw  that  her  hus- 
band was  deadly  pale  with  terror. 

"My  dear,  I  forbade  your  coming  here,"  he  said, 
sitting  down  on  the  top  stair  like  a  man  completely 
crushed.  "  The  saints  have  preserved  you  from 
death.  What  happy  chance  made  me  look  at  the 
door?     We  were  both  nearly  killed." 

"  I  should  have  been  very  happy  if  we  had  been," 
she  said. 

"My  experiment  has  failed,"  rejoined  Balthazar. 
"  I  could  forgive  nobody  but  you  for  the  grief  that 
this  disappointment  causes  me.  I  was  just  on  the 
point  of  decomposing  nitrogen,  perhaps! — Come,  go 
back  to  your  household  affairs." 

Balthazar  returned  to  his  laboratory. 

"/  was  just  on  the  point  of  decomposing  nitrogen, 
perhaps! '"  said  the  poor  woman  to  herself,  as  she  re- 
turned to  her  bedroom,  where  she  burst  into  tears. 

That  phrase  was  meaningless  to  her.    Men,  whose 


THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE  6l 

education  accustoms  them  to  think  of  anything  as 
possible,  have  no  idea  how  horrible  it  is  for  a  woman 
to  be  unable  to  understand  the  thoughts  of  the  man 
whom  she  loves.  The  divine  creatures,  more  in- 
dulgent than  we,  say  nothing  to  us  when  we  mis- 
understand the  language  of  their  hearts;  they  fear 
to  make  us  feel  the  superiority  of  their  sentiments, 
and  they  conceal  their  suffering  with  as  much  joy 
as  they  take  in  saying  nothing  of  their  misunder- 
stood pleasures;  but,  being  more  ambitious  in  love 
than  we,  they  long  to  marry  something  more  than  a 
man's  heart,  they  crave  his  whole  mind  as  well.  In 
Madame  Claes's  heart,  the  thought  that  she  knew 
nothing  of  the  science  in  which  her  husband  was 
absorbed  engendered  an  irritation  more  intense  than 
that  caused  by  the  beauty  of  a  rival.  A  struggle 
between  woman  and  woman  gives  her  who  loves 
best  the  advantage  of  loving  better;  but  that  irrita- 
tion implied  impotence,  and  humiliated  all  the  feel- 
ings which  help  us  to  live.  Josephine  did  not  know! 
A  situation  had  arisen  wherein  her  ignorance  sepa- 
rated her  from  her  husband.  And,  last  and  keenest 
torture  of  all,  he  was  often  between  life  and  death, 
he  incurred  constant  risks,  far  from  her,  yet  near  at 
hand,  and  she  did  not  share  them,  did  not  know 
what  they  were!  It  was,  like  hell,  a  mental  prison, 
issueless,  hopeless.  Madame  Claes  determined,  at 
all  events,  to  understand  the  attractions  of  that 
science,  and  began  to  study  chemistry  secretly  in 
books.  Thus  the  family  lived  in  a  cloister  to  all 
intent. 


62  THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE 

Such  were  the  successive  phases  through  which 
misfortune  compelled  the  Claes  family  to  pass  be- 
fore bringing  upon  it  the  species  of  civil  death  with 
which  it  was  stricken  at  the  moment  when  this 
narrative  opens. 

New  complications  arose  in  that  wretched  condi- 
tion of  affairs.  Like  all  passionate  women,  Madame 
Claes  was  disinterested  and  unselfish  to  an  abnor- 
mal degree.  They  who  love  truly,  know  of  how  little 
importance  money  is  compared  with  sentiment,  and 
with  how  great  difficulty  it  is  amassed.  Neverthe- 
less, it  was  not  without  painful  emotion  that  Jose- 
phine learned  that  her  husband  owed  three  hundred 
thousand  francs  raised  by  mortgaging  his  real  estate. 
The  undoubted  genuineness  of  the  documents  justi- 
fied the  perplexities,  the  rumors,  the  conjectures  of 
the  town.  Madame  Claes,  justly  alarmed,  was  com- 
pelled, proud  as  she  was,  to  question  her  husband's 
notary,  to  admit  him  to  the  secret  of  her  sorrows,  or 
to  allow  him  to  guess  them,  and  to  hear  at  last  this 
humiliating  question  : 

"  How  is  it  that  Monsieur  Claes  has  not  yet  told 
you  anything  about  it?" 

Luckily,  Balthazar's  notary  was  almost  a  kins- 
man,— in  this  way.  Monsieur  Claes's  grandfather 
had  married  a  Pierquin  of  Antwerp,  of  the  same 
family  as  the  Pierquins  of  Douai.  Since  that  mar- 
riage, the  latter,  although  unconnected  with  the 
Claes,  had  treated  them  as  cousins.  Monsieur  Pier- 
quin, a  young  man  of  twenty-six,  who  had  recently 
succeeded  to  his  father's  office,  was  the  only  person 


THE   QUEST  OF  THE   ABSOLUTE  63 

admitted  to  Claes  House.  Madame  Balthazar  had 
lived  in  such  complete  solitude  for  many  months, 
that  the  notary  was  obliged  to  confirm  the  report 
she  had  heard  of  the  catastrophe,  which  was  already 
known  to  the  whole  town.  He  told  her  that  her 
husband  probably  owed  a  large  sum  to  the  house 
which  supplied  him  with  chemical  substances.  After 
making  inquiries  as  to  Monsieur  Claes's  means  and 
reputation,  that  house  gladly  accepted  his  orders 
and  forwarded  the  goods  without  any  question,  not- 
withstanding the  size  of  their  account.  Madame 
Claes  instructed  Pierquin  to  obtain  a  statement  of 
the  supplies  furnished  her  husband.  Two  months 
later,  Messieurs  Protez  and  Chiffreville,  manufac- 
turers of  chemicals,  forwarded  a  statement  amount- 
ing to  one  hundred  thousand  francs.  Madame  Claes 
and  Pierquin  studied  that  document  with  increasing 
surprise.  Although  many  articles,  expressed  in  scien- 
tific or  commercial  nomenclature,  were  unintelligible 
to  them,  they  were  appalled  to  find  charges  for  ship- 
ments of  metals  and  diamonds  of  all  sorts,  but  in 
small  quantities.  The  amount  of  the  bill  was  easily 
explained  by  the  multiplicity  of  articles,  by  the  pre- 
cautions demanded  in  the  transportation  of  certain 
valuable  substances  and  valuable  apparatus,  by  the 
exorbitant  price  of  certain  products  which  could  only 
be  obtained  with  great  difficulty,  or  whose  rarity 
made  them  expensive,  and,  lastly,  by  the  value  of 
the  physical  and  chemical  instruments  manufactured 
according  to  Monsieur  Claes's  instructions.  The 
notary,  in  his  cousin's  interest,  had  made  inquiries 


64  THE  QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE 

concerning  Protez  and  Chiffreville,  and  that  firm's 
excellent  reputation  left  no  doubt  as  to  their  fair 
dealing  with  Monsieur  Claes,  to  whom,  moreover, 
they  frequently  communicated  the  results  obtained 
by  chemists  in  Paris,  in  order  to  save  him  unneces- 
sary expense. 

Madame  Claes  begged  the  notary  to  conceal  from 
the  people  of  Douai  the  nature  of  these  purchases, 
which  would  seem  to  them  evidence  of  insanity; 
but  Pierquin  replied  that,  in  order  not  to  impair  the 
esteem  in  which  Claes  was  held,  he  had  already 
delayed  till  the  last  possible  moment  the  issuance  of 
the  notarial  documents  which  the  importance  of  the 
sums  lent  on  trust  by  his  clients  had  at  last  neces- 
sitated. He  explained  to  her  the  full  extent  of  the 
difficulty,  informing  her  that,  unless  she  could  find 
some  way  to  prevent  her  husband  from  spending 
his  fortune  so  foolishly,  in  six  months  his  patrimony 
would  be  buried  in  mortgages  far  beyond  its  value. 
As  for  himself,  he  added,  the  suggestions  he  had 
made  to  his  cousin,  with  the  precautions  due  to  a 
man  so  highly  considered,  had  not  had  the  slightest 
effect.  Balthazar  had  answered  once  for  all  that  he 
was  working  for  the  glory  and  fortune  of  his  family. 
Thus,  to  all  the  tortures  of  the  heart  which  Madame 
Claes  had  endured  for  two  years,  each  of  which 
combined  with  the  others,  and  increased  the  sorrow 
of  the  moment  with  the  weight  of  all  the  past  sor- 
rows, was  now  added  a  ghastly,  never-ending  dread, 
which  made  the  future  terrible  to  think  of.  Women 
have  presentiments  whose  accuracy  borders  on  the 


THE   QUEST  OF  THE   ABSOLUTE  6$ 

miraculous.  Why  do  they,  as  a  general  rule,  fear 
more  than  they  hope  when  the  greatest  interests  of 
life  are  at  stake?  Why  have  they  faith  only  with  re- 
gard to  the  sublime  religious  ideas  of  the  future?  Why 
do  they  so  skilfully  foresee  the  catastrophes  of  for- 
tune, or  the  crises  of  our  destinies?  It  may  be  that 
the  sentiment  which  unites  them  to  the  man  they 
love  enables  them  with  wonderful  precision  to  meas- 
ure his  powers,  to  estimate  his  faculties,  to  under- 
stand his  passions,  his  tastes,  his  vices,  his  virtues; 
the  constant  study  of  those  causes,  with  which  they 
are  brought  face  to  face  every  hour  in  the  day, 
doubtless  gives  them  the  fatal  power  to  foresee  their 
effects  under  all  possible  circumstances.  What  they 
see  of  the  present  enables  them  to  forecast  the  future 
with  a  precision  naturally  explained  by  the  perfection 
of  their  nervous  system,  which  makes  it  possible  for 
them  to  grasp  the  slightest  diagnostic  manifestations 
of  the  thought  and  the  sentiments.  Everything  in 
them  vibrates  in  unison  with  great  moral  commotions. 
Either  they  feel,  or  they  see. 

Now,  Madame  Claes,  although  separated  from  her 
husband  for  two  years,  had  a  presentiment  of  the 
loss  of  her  fortune.  She  appreciated  the  deliberate 
enthusiasm,  the  unchangeable  constancy  of  Baltha- 
zar's character;  if  it  were  true  that  he  was  trying 
to  make  gold,  he  was  capable  of  throwing  his  last 
crust  of  bread  into  his  crucible  with  perfect  insensi- 
bility; but  what  was  he  seeking?  Thus  far  the  sen- 
timent of  maternity  and  conjugal  love  had  been  so 
perfectly  blended  in  that  woman's  heart,  that  her 
5 


66  THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE 

children,  who  were  equally  dear  to  herself  and  her 
husband,  had  never  interposed  between  them.  But 
suddenly  she  discovered  that  at  times  she  was  more 
mother  than  wife,  although  more  frequently  she  was 
more  wife  than  mother.  And  yet,  however  well 
disposed  she  might  be  to  sacrifice  her  fortune,  and 
even  her  children,  to  the  happiness  of  the  man  who 
had  chosen  her,  who  had  loved,  adored  her,  and  in 
whose  eyes  she  was  still  the  only  woman  on  earth, 
the  remorse  caused  by  the  weakness  of  her  mother- 
love  compelled  her  to  choose  between  terrible  alter- 
natives. Thus,  as  wife,  she  suffered  in  her  heart; 
as  mother,  she  suffered  in  her  children;  as  a  Chris- 
tian woman,  she  suffered  for  all.  She  held  her  peace, 
and  confined  those  cruel  tempests  within  her  soul. 
Her  husband,  the  sole  arbiter  of  his  family's  fate, 
was  able  to  arrange  its  destiny  at  his  pleasure,  he  was 
responsible  to  God  alone.  Moreover,  could  she  re- 
proach him  with  the  loss  of  his  fortune,  after  the 
disinterestedness  he  had  displayed  during  ten  years? 
Was  she  competent  to  judge  his  plans?  But  her 
conscience,  in  accord  with  the  law  and  with  natural 
feeling,  told  her  that  parents  were  merely  trustees 
of  their  wealth,  and  had  no  right  to  squander  the 
material  welfare  of  their  children. 

To  avoid  seeking  a  solution  to  those  momentous 
questions,  she  preferred  to  close  her  eyes,  as  is  the 
wont  of  those  who  refuse  to  see  the  abyss  into 
whose  depths  they  know  that  they  are  likely  to 
fall.  Her  husband  had  given  her  no  money  for  the 
household  expenses  for  six  months.     She   sent  to 


THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE  67 

Paris  and  sold  secretly  there  the  magnificent  dia- 
monds that  her  brother  gave  her  on  her  wedding- 
day,  and  introduced  the  strictest  economy  in  the 
house.  She  sent  away  the  governess  who  had 
charge  of  her  children,  and  even  Jean's  nurse. 
Formerly  the  luxury  of  carriages  was  unknown  to 
the  bourgeoisie,  who  were  at  the  same  time  exceed- 
ingly simple  in  their  habits  and  exceedingly  proud 
in  their  sentiments;  so  that  no  provision  had  been 
made  in  the  Claes  establishment  for  that  modern 
invention;  Balthazar  was  obliged  to  maintain  his 
stable  and  carriage-house  in  a  building  on  the  oppo- 
site side  of  the  street;  his  occupations  no  longer 
permitted  him  to  superintend  that  essentially  mascu- 
line branch  of  the  establishment.  Madame  Claes 
did  away  with  the  onerous  expense  of  carriages  and 
servants  whom  her  isolation  rendered  useless,  and, 
notwithstanding  the  excellence  of  her  reasons,  she 
did  not  attempt  to  explain  her  reforms.  Hitherto 
facts  had  given  the  lie  to  her  words,  and  silence 
was  thenceforth  the  most  fitting  course.  The  change 
in  the  mode  of  life  of  the  Claes  family  admitted  no 
justification  in  a  country  where,  as  is  the  case  in 
Holland,  the  man  who  spends  his  whole  income  is 
looked  upon  as  insane.  But,  as  her  oldest  daughter 
Marguerite  was  approaching  sixteen,  Josephine  was 
supposed  to  entertain  a  wish  to  arrange  a  fine  mar- 
riage for  her,  to  obtain  for  her  such  a  position  in 
society  as  befitted  a  young  woman  allied  to  the 
Molinas,  the  Van  Ostrom-Temnincks,  and  the  Casa- 
Reals. 


A  few  days  before  that  on  which  this  narrative 
begins,  the  money  received  for  the  diamonds  was 
exhausted.  On  that  very  day,  at  three  o'clock,  as 
Madame  Claes  was  taking  her  children  to  vespers, 
she  met  Pierquin,  who  was  on  his  way  to  see  her 
and  who  accompanied  her  to  Saint-Pierre,  talking 
in  a  low  tone  concerning  her  position. 

"Cousin,"  he  said,  "I  cannot,  without  proving 
false  to  the  friendship  which  binds  me  to  your  family, 
refrain  from  pointing  out  to  you  the  danger  which 
threatens  you,  and  urging  you  to  confer  with  your 
husband.  Who  but  you  can  stop  him  on  the  brink 
of  the  abyss  which  you  are  approaching?  The  in- 
come from  the  mortgaged  property  is  not  sufficient  to 
pay  the  interest  on  the  sums  borrowed;  so  that  you 
are  without  any  income  to-day.  If  you  should  cut 
the  wood  in  the  forests  you  own,  you  would  deprive 
yourself  of  your  only  chance  of  salvation  hereafter. 
My  cousin  Balthazar  at  this  moment  owes  the  house 
of  Protez  and  Chiffreville  of  Paris  thirty  thousand 
francs;  how  will  you  pay  them?  what  are  you  to 
live  on?  and  what  will  become  of  you  if  Claes  con- 
tinues to  order  reagents,  test-tubes,  voltaic  batteries, 
and  other  kickshaws?  All  your  fortune,  except  the 
house  and  the  furniture,  has  been  squandered  in  gas 
and  coal.  When  the  subject  of  mortgaging  his  house 
was  broached  to  Claes  on  the  day  before  yesterday, 

(69) 


70  THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE 

what  do  you  suppose  his  answer  was? — 'Damna- 
tion!'— That's  the  first  glimmering  of  common  sense 
he  has  manifested  in  three  years." 

Madame  Claes  pressed  Pierquin's  arm  with  an 
agonizing  gesture,  raised  her  eyes  to  Heaven,  and 
said: 

"  Keep  our  secret!" 

Notwithstanding  her  devout  nature,  the  unhappy 
woman,  overwhelmed  by  the  crushing  explicitness 
of  those  words,  was  unable  to  pray;  she  sat  be- 
tween her  children,  opened  her  book,  and  did  not 
turn  a  leaf;  she  was  absorbed  in  meditation  as  en- 
grossing as  her  husband's.  Spanish  honor,  Flemish 
probity,  spoke  aloud  in  her  heart  in  tones  as  power- 
ful as  those  of  the  organ.  The  ruin  of  her  children 
was  consummated  !  Between  them  and  their  father's 
honor  she  must  not  hesitate. 

The  necessity  of  a  speedy  conflict  between  her 
husband  and  herself  terrified  her;  he  was  so  great, 
so  imposing  in  her  eyes,  that  the  mere  thought  of 
his  wrath  agitated  her  as  intensely  as  the  thought 
of  the  divine  majesty.  She  must  lay  aside  that  con- 
stant submission  which  she  had  sacredly  observed  as 
a  dutiful  wife.  The  interests  of  her  children  com- 
pelled her  to  interfere  with  the  tastes  of  a  man  whom 
she  idolized.  Again  and  again  she  would  be  obliged 
to  bring  him  back  to  positive  questions  when  he  was 
soaring  in  the  lofty  regions  of  science,  to  tear  him 
violently  away  from  contemplation  of  a  smiling 
future  in  order  to  bring  him  face  to  face  with  a 
mass  of  material  details  most   offensive  to   artists 


THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE  7 1 

and  great  men.  In  her  eyes,  Balthazar  Claes  was 
a  giant  of  science,  a  man  big  with  renown;  he  could 
not  have  neglected  her  except  for  the  most  splendid 
hopes;  and  then  he  was  blest  with  such  profound 
good  sense,  she  had  heard  him  speak  with  so  much 
ability  on  questions  of  every  sort,  that  he  must  be 
sincere  in  saying  that  he  was  working  for  the  glory 
and  fortune  of  his  family.  That  man's  love  for  his 
wife  and  children  was  not  simply  immense,  it  was 
infinite.  Those  sentiments  could  not  have  been  de- 
stroyed, they  had  doubtless  become  intensified,  being 
reproduced  in  another  form.  She,  so  noble,  so  gen- 
erous, and  so  timid,  must  needs  assail  that  great 
man's  ears  incessantly  with  the  word  money  and 
the  jingle  of  money;  point  out  to  him  the  sores  born 
of  poverty,  force  him  to  listen  to  cries  of  distress, 
when  he  should  be  listening  to  the  melodious  voices 
of  renown!  Perhaps  Balthazar's  affection  for  her 
would  grow  less.  If  she  had  no  children,  she  would 
have  embraced  courageously  and  with  pleasure  the 
new  destiny  her  husband  marked  out  for  her.  Women 
reared  in  opulence  soon  perceive  the  void  which  ma- 
terial pleasures  conceal,  and  when  their  hearts, 
wearied  rather  than  withered,  have  brought  them 
the  happiness  caused  by  the  constant  exchange  of 
genuine  sentiments,  they  do  not  recoil  at  the  pros- 
pect of  life  in  moderate  circumstances,  if  such  a  life 
is  satisfactory  to  the  man  to  whom  they  know  that 
they  are  dear.  Their  ideas,  their  pleasures,  are  made 
to  submit  to  the  caprices  of  that  life  outside  of  their 
own;  their  only  fear  for  the  future  is  lest  they  lose  it. 


72  THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE 

At  that  moment,  therefore,  Pepita's  children  sep- 
arated her  from  her  true  life  as  widely  as  Balthazar 
Claes  was  separated  from  his  by  science;  and  so, 
when  she  had  returned  from  vespers  and  thrown 
herself  into  her  easy-chair,  she  sent  the  children 
away,  bidding  them  be  perfectly  quiet;  then  she 
sent  a  request  to  her  husband  that  he  would  come 
to  see  her.  But,  although  Lemulquinier,  the  old 
valet,  had  done  his  best  to  tear  him  away  from  his 
laboratory,  Balthazar  had  remained  there.  Thus 
Madame  Claes  had  time  to  reflect;  and  she,  too,  re- 
mained lost  in  thought,  regardless  of  the  day,  the 
hour,  the  weather.  The  thought  of  owing  thirty 
thousand  francs  and  being  unable  to  pay  it  awoke 
past  sorrows,  and  added  them  to  the  sorrows  of  the 
present  and  future.  That  burden  of  ideas,  of  sensa- 
tions, of  interests,  was  too  heavy  for  her;  she  wept. 

When  Balthazar  entered  the  room,  his  face  seemed 
to  her  more  terrible,  more  absorbed,  more  vacant, 
than  she  had  ever  seen  it;  when  he  failed  to  reply, 
she  was  at  first  fascinated,  as  it  were,  by  the  immo- 
bility of  that  colorless,  empty  stare,  by  all  the  con- 
suming ideas  distilling  within  that  bald  head.  Under 
the  influence  of  that  feeling,  she  longed  to  die.  When 
she  heard  his  heedless  voice  expressing  a  scientific 
aspiration  at  the  moment  when  despair  was  crush- 
ing her  heart,  her  courage  returned;  she  resolved  to 
fight  against  that  formidable  power  which  had  de- 
prived her  of  a  lover,  which  had  stolen  a  father  from 
her  children,  a  fortune  from  the  family,  happiness 
from  them  all.     Nevertheless,  she  could  not  conquer 


THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE  73 

the  constant  trepidation  that  agitated  her,  for,  in  all 
her  life,  no  such  momentous  scene  had  ever  taken 
place.  Was  not  that  awful  moment  big  with  her 
future,  and  was  not  her  whole  past  summed  up 
therein? 

Now,  feeble,  timid  persons,  or  those  in  whom  the 
intensity  of  their  sensations  magnifies  the  difficulties 
of  life,  the  men  who  are  seized  with  involuntary 
trembling  before  the  arbiters  of  their  fate,  all  can 
imagine  the  myriads  of  thoughts  which  whirled 
about  in  that  woman's  brain,  and  the  feelings  which 
oppressed  her  heart  with  their  weight  when  her 
husband  walked  slowly  toward  the  garden  door. 
Most  women  are  familiar  with  the  anguish  of  the 
secret  deliberation  against  which  Madame  Claes 
struggled.  So  that  even  those  hearts  which  have 
been  violently  agitated  simply  because  of  the  neces- 
sity of  making  known  to  their  husbands  some  slight 
excess  of  expenditure  or  of  indebtedness  at  the  mil- 
liner's, will  understand  how  much  more  madly  the 
heart  must  beat  when  one's  whole  life  is  at  stake. 
A  lovely  woman  has  a  graceful  way  of  throwing 
herself  at  her  husband's  feet,  she  finds  resources  in 
grief-stricken  attitudes;  whereas  the  consciousness 
of  her  physical  infirmities  added  to  Madame  Claes's 
dread.  Thus,  when  she  saw  that  Balthazar  was  on 
the  point  of  leaving  the  room,  her  first  impulse  was 
to  rush  to  him;  but  a  painful  reflection  repressed  her 
impulse,  she  was  actually  on  the  point  of  standing 
in  his  presence!  Must  she  not  inevitably  appear  a 
ridiculous   object   to  a  man,  who,  being  no   longer 


74  THE  QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE 

under  the  spell  of  love,  could  see  clearly?  Jose- 
phine would  gladly  have  lost  everything,  fortune 
and  children,  rather  than  lessen  her  power  as  a 
wife.  She  determined  to  avoid  all  unfavorable 
chances  at  so  solemn  a  moment,  and  called  in  a 
loud  voice : 

"Balthazar!" 

He  turned  instinctively,  and  coughed;  but,  with- 
out paying  any  heed  to  his  wife,  he  expectorated  in 
one  of  the  little  square  boxes  placed  at  intervals 
along  the  wall,  as  in  all  rooms  in  Holland  and  Bel- 
gium. Although  that  man  never  thought  of  any- 
body, he  never  forgot  the  spittoons,  so  inveterate 
was  the  habit.  To  poor  Josephine,  who  was  inca- 
pable of  understanding  that  peculiar  freak,  her  hus- 
band's constant  care  of  the  furniture  was  always  a 
source  of  incredible  suffering ;  and  at  that  moment  it 
was  so  intense  that  it  drove  her  beyond  all  bounds, 
and  made  her  exclaim  in  an  impatient  tone,  in  which 
all  her  wounded  feelings  found  expression: 

"  Why,  monsieur,  I  am  speaking  to  you!" 

"  What  does  this  mean?"  retorted  Balthazar,  turn- 
ing quickly  and  darting  at  his  wife  a  glance  in  which 
life  was  once  more  apparent,  and  which  was  like  a 
stroke  of  lightning  to  her. 

"  Forgive  me,  my  dear,"  she  said,  turning  pale. 

She  tried  to  rise  and  hold  out  her  hand,  but  she 
fell  back  helplessly. 

"  I  am  dying!"  she  exclaimed  in  a  voice  broken 
by  sobs. 

At  that  sight,  Balthazar,  like  all   absent-minded 


THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE  75 

people,  had  a  sharp  reaction,  and  divined,  so  to 
speak,  the  secret  of  that  attack;  he  at  once  took 
Madame  Claes  in  his  arms,  opened  the  door  lead- 
ing into  the  small  anteroom,  and  ascended  the  old 
wooden  staircase  so  swiftly  that  his  wife's  dress, 
having  caught  on  the  jaw  of  one  of  the  monsters 
which  formed  the  balusters,  a  whole  breadth  was 
torn  out  with  a  great  noise,  and  remained  behind. 
He  opened  the  door  of  the  vestibule  common  to  their 
apartments  with  a  kick;  but  he  found  his  wife's 
room  locked. 

He  placed  Josephine  gently  in  a  chair. 

"  Great  Heaven!  where's  the  key?"  he  exclaimed. 

"  Thanks,  dear!"  said  Madame  Claes,  opening 
her  eyes;  "  this  is  the  first  time  in  a  long  while  that 
I  have  been  so  near  your  heart." 

"  Good  God !"  cried  Claes,  "  the  key?  here  come 
the  servants — " 

Josephine  pointed  to  the  key,  which  hung  from 
her  pocket  at  the  end  of  a  long  ribbon.  After  open- 
ing the  door,  Balthazar  dropped  his  wife  on  a  couch, 
went  out  to  prevent  the  frightened  servants  from 
coming  up,  ordering  them  to  serve  dinner  at  once, 
and  returned  eagerly  to  his  wife. 

"  What  is  the  matter,  my  dear  life?"  he  said,  sit- 
ting down  beside  her  and  taking  her  hand,  which  he 
kissed. 

"  Why,  nothing  is  the  matter  now,"  she  said,  "  I 
am  not  ill  any  longer!  But  I  would  like  to  have 
God's  power  so  that  I  might  lay  at  your  feet  all  the 
gold  in  the  world  !" 


j6  THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE 

"  Why  gold?"  he  asked. 

And  he  drew  his  wife  to  him,  embraced  her,  and 
kissed  her  again  on  the  forehead. 

"Do  you  not  give  me  greater  riches  by  loving 
me  as  you  do,  my  dear  and  precious  love?"  he  con- 
tinued. 

"Oh!  my  Balthazar,  why  will  you  not  drive  away 
the  misery  of  all  our  lives,  as  you  banish  with  your 
voice  the  grief  of  my  heart?  At  last,  I  see  that  you 
are  still  the  same." 

"  What  misery  do  you  refer  to,  my  dear?" 

"  Why,  we  are  ruined !" 

"  Ruined?"  he  repeated. 

He  smiled,  patted  his  wife's  hand  which  he  held 
in  his,  and  said  in  a  gentle  voice  which  she  had  not 
heard  for  a  long,  long  time: 

"  But,  my  angel,  to-morrow  it  may  be  that  our 
fortune  will  be  without  bounds.  Yesterday,  while 
in  search  of  much  more  important  secrets,  I  believe 
that  1  discovered  a  means  of  crystallizing  carbon, 
which  is  the  substance  of  the  diamond.  O  my 
dearest  wife,  in  a  few  days  you  will  forgive  my 
abstraction! — It  seems  that  I  am  abstracted  at 
times. — Did  I  not  speak  sharply  to  you  just  now? 
Be  indulgent  to  a  man  who  has  never  ceased  to 
think  of  you,  whose  labors  are  all  filled  with  you, 
with  us — " 

"  Enough,  enough!"  said  she,  "  we  will  talk  about 
all  this  to-night,  my  dear.  My  illness  was  caused 
by  too  great  sorrow;  now  I  am  suffering  from  too 
great  pleasure." 


THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE  77 

She  had  never  expected  to  see  that  face  lighted  up 
again  by  a  sentiment  as  tender  as  in  the  old  days, 
to  hear  that  voice  as  gentle  as  it  used  to  be,  and  to 
find  all  that  she  thought  that  she  had  lost. 

"Very  well,  we  will  talk  to-night,"  he  replied. 
"  If  I  am  absorbed  in  meditation,  remind  me  of  this 
promise.  To-night  I  mean  to  lay  aside  my  calcula- 
tions, my  labors,  and  plunge  into  all  the  joys  of 
home,  all  the  pleasures  of  the  heart;  for  I  need 
them,  Pepita,  I  am  thirsty  for  them!" 

"Will  you  tell  me  what  you  are  trying  to  find, 
Balthazar?" 

"  Why,  my  poor  child,  you  would  not  under- 
stand." 

"  Do  you  think  so? — My  dear,  1  have  been  study- 
ing chemistry  for  four  months,  so  that  1  might  be 
able  to  talk  with  you  about  it.  I  have  read  Four- 
croy,  Lavoisier,  Chaptal,  Nollet,  Rouelle,  Berthol- 
let,  Gay-Lussac,  Spallanzani,  Leuwenhoek,  Galvani, 
Volta,  in  a  word,  all  the  books  relating  to  the  science 
to  which  you  are  so  devoted.  You  can  tell  me  your 
secrets,  you  see." 

"Oh!  you  are  an  angel,"  cried  Balthazar,  falling 
at  his  wife's  feet,  and  shedding  tears  of  emotion 
which  made  her  quiver,  "we  shall  understand  each 
other  in  everything!" 

"Oh!"  said  she,  "  1  would  throw  myself  into  the 
fire  of  the  hell  that  heats  your  furnaces  to  hear  that 
word  from  your  mouth,  and  to  see  you  like  this." 

Hearing  her  daughter's  step  in  the  hall,  she  ran 
hastily  to  the  door. 


78  THE  QUEST  OF  THE   ABSOLUTE 

"  What  do  you  want,  Marguerite?"  she  asked. 

"  Monsieur  Pierquin  has  come,  dear  mamma.  If 
he  stays  to  dinner,  we  shall  need  some  linen,  and 
you  forgot  to  give  it  to  me  this  morning." 

Madame  Claes  took  from  her  pocket  a  bunch  of 
little  keys,  handed  them  to  her  daughter,  pointing 
to  the  sandal-wood  cupboard  which  lined  the  walls 
of  the  anteroom,  and  said  to  her: 

"  Take  them  from  the  cupboard  on  the  right,  my 
child,  from  the  Graindorge  service. — As  my  dear 
Balthazar  has  come  back  to  me  to-day,  give  him  to 
me  just  as  he  was,"  she  said,  returning,  with  a 
sweet,  mischievous  expression  on  her  face.  "  Go 
to  your  room,  my  love,  and  dress,  to  please  me; 
we  have  Pierquin  to  dinner.  Come,  take  off  these 
torn  clothes.  Just  look  at  those  spots!  Isn't  it 
muriatic  or  sulphuric  acid  that  makes  the  yellow 
circle  around  all  these  holes?  Come,  make  yourself 
young  again;  I'll  send  Mulquinier  to  you  when  I 
have  changed  my  dress." 

Balthazar  attempted  to  go  to  his  own  room  through 
the  door  connecting  it  with  his  wife's;  but  he  had 
forgotten  that  it  was  locked  on  his  side.  He  went 
out  through  the  anteroom. 

"  Put  the  linen  on  a  chair,  Marguerite,  and  come 
and  dress  me,"  said  Madame  Claes  to  her  daughter; 
"  1  don't  want  Martha." 

Balthazar  had  taken  Marguerite  by  the  shoulders, 
and  turned  her  toward  him  with  a  gesture  of  delight, 
saying  to  her: 

"  Good-afternoon,  my  child  !  you  are  very  pretty 


THE   QUEST  OF  THE   ABSOLUTE  79 

to-day  in  your  muslin  dress  and  with  that  pink 
belt!''' 

Then  he  kissed  her  on  the  forehead  and  pressed 
her  hand. 

"Mamma,  papa  just  kissed  me!"  said  Margue- 
rite, entering  her  mother's  room;  "he  seems  very 
cheerful,   very  happy!" 

"Your  father  is  a  very  great  man,  my  child;  for 
nearly  three  years  now  he  has  been  working  for  the 
glory  and  fortune  of  his  family,  and  he  thinks  that 
he  has  reached  the  goal  of  his  investigations.  This 
day  ought  to  be  a  very  happy  holiday  to  us  all." 

"Dear  mamma,"  replied  Marguerite,  "our  ser- 
vants have  been  so  unhappy  to  see  him  always  cross 
and  scowling  that  we  shall  not  be  alone  in  our  joy. 
Oh!  do  put  on  another  belt,  this  one  is  too  faded." 

"  Very  well,  but  let  us  make  haste,  for  I  want  to 
speak  with  Pierquin.     Where  is  he?" 

"  In  the  parlor,  amusing  himself  with  Jean." 

"  Where  are  Gabriel  and  Felicie?" 

"  I  hear  them  in  the  garden." 

"  Then  run  down  at  once  and  see  to  it  that  they 
don't  pick  any  tulips;  your  father  hasn't  seen  this 
year's  display  yet,  and  he  might  like  to  look  at  them 
when  we  leave  the  table.  Tell  Mulquinier  to  take 
your  father  everything  that  he  needs  for  his  toilet." 

When  Marguerite  had  gone,  Madame  Claes  glanced 
at  the  children  through  her  window  which  looked  on 
the  garden,  and  saw  them  intently  watching  one 
of  the  shiny,  gold-spangled,  green-winged  insects 
vulgarly  called  "darning-needles." 


80  THE  QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE 

"  Be  good,  my  darlings,"  she  said,  opening  a  part 
of  the  window,  which  ran  in  a  groove,  and  which  she 
fastened  back  to  air  the  room. 

Then  she  knocked  softly  at  her  husband's  door  to 
make  sure  that  he  had  not  relapsed  into  his  abstrac- 
tion. He  opened  the  door,  and  she  said  in  a  joyful 
tone  when  she  saw  that  he  was  undressed: 

"  You  won't  leave  me  long  alone  with  Pierquin, 
will  you?     You  will  join  us  soon." 

She  ran  downstairs  so  lightly  that  a  stranger  hear- 
ing her  would  not  have  recognized  the  step  of  a  lame 
woman. 

"When  monsieur  carried  madame  upstairs,"  said 
the  valet,  whom  she  met  on  the  stairway,  "  he  tore 
her  dress;  it  is  only  a  paltry  bit  of  cloth,  but  it  broke 
the  jaw  of  that  figure  and  I  don't  know  who  can  mend 
it.  So  there's  our  staircase  spoiled,  that  baluster 
was  so  fine!" 

"  Pshaw!  my  good  Mulquinier,  do  not  have  it 
mended,  no  harm  has  been  done." 

"  What  the  deuce  has  happened,"  said  Mulquinier 
to  himself,  "that's  no  harm?  Can  it  be  that  my 
master  has  found  the  Absolute?  " 

"Good-afternoon,  Monsieur  Pierquin,"  said  Ma- 
dame Claes,  as  she  opened  the  parlor  door. 

The  notary  ran  to  offer  his  cousin  his  arm,  but 
she  never  would  take  any  but  her  husband's;  so  she 
thanked  him  with  a  smile,  and  said: 

"  I  suppose  you  have  come  about  the  thirty  thou- 
sand francs?" 

"Yes,  madame;  when  I  returned  home,  I  found  a 


IN  THE  RUE  DE  PARIS 


*  *  *  he  at  once  took  Madame  Clacs  in  his  anus, 
opened  the  door  leading  into  the  small  anteroom, 
and  ascended  the  old  wooden  staircase  so  swiftly 
that  his  wife's  dress,  having  caught  on  the  jaw  of 
one  of  the  monsters  which  formed  the  balusters,  a 
whole  breadth  was  torn  out  with  a  great  noise,  and 
remained  behind. 


THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE  8l 

letter  of  advice  from  Messieurs  Protez  and  Chiffre- 
ville  to  the  effect  that  they  have  drawn  on  Monsieur 
Claes  in  six  bills  for  five  thousand  francs  each." 

"Well,  don't  mention  the  subject  to  Balthazar 
to-day,"  she  said.  "  Dine  with  us.  If  he  should 
happen  to  ask  you  why  you  came,  invent  some 
plausible  pretext,  1  beg.  Give  me  the  letter,  I  will 
speak  to  him  about  it  myself.  All  goes  well,"  she 
continued,  observing  the  notary's  amazement.  "  In 
a  few  months  my  husband  will  probably  repay  the 
sums  he  has  borrowed." 

As  he  listened  to  those  words,  spoken  in  an  under- 
tone, the  notary  had  his  eyes  upon  Mademoiselle 
Claes,  who  was  returning  from  the  garden  followed 
by  Gabriel  and  Felicie. 

"  I  have  never  seen  Mademoiselle  Marguerite  so 
pretty  as  she  is  at  this  moment,"  he  said. 

Madame  Claes,  who  had  seated  herself  in  her 
easy-chair  and  had  taken  little  Jean  on  her  knees, 
looked  at  her  daughter  and  the  notary  with  an  affec- 
tation of  indifference. 

Pierquin  was  of  medium  height,  neither  stout  nor 
thin,  with  a  face  of  a  commonplace  type  of  beauty 
which  commonly  wore  a  depressed  look,  rather  dis- 
appointed than  melancholy,  a  musing  expression, 
rather  hesitating  than  pensive;  he  was  supposed  to 
be  a  misanthrope,  but  he  was  too  selfish,  too  great 
an  eater,  for  his  divorce  from  society  to  be  real.  His 
glance,  usually  lost  in  space,  his  indifferent  manner, 
his  ostentatious  taciturnity,  seemed  to  denote  pro- 
fundity of  thought,  but  in  reality  were  a  cloak  for 
6 


82  THE  QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE 

the  emptiness  and  nullity  of  a  notary  occupied  ex- 
clusively with  human  affairs,  but  still  young  enough 
to  be  envious.  An  alliance  with  the  Claes  family 
would  have  been  in  his  eyes  a  reason  for  devotion 
without  bounds,  if  he  had  not  had  an  underlying 
stratum  of  avarice.  He  played  at  generosity,  but  he 
knew  how  to  reckon.  And  so,  without  attempting 
to  explain  to  himself  the  change  in  his  manners,  he 
was  incisive,  stern,  morose, — as  is  commonly  the  case 
with  business  men, — when  Claes  seemed  to  him  to 
be  ruined;  then  became  affectionate,  obsequious,  al- 
most servile,  when  he  suspected  that  his  cousin's 
labors  might  result  happily.  At  one  time,  he  looked 
upon  Marguerite  Claes  as  a  princess,  to  whom  it  was 
impossible  for  a  provincial  notary  to  raise  his  eyes; 
again,  he  saw  in  her  only  a  poor  girl  who  would  be 
only  too  fortunate  if  he  should  deign  to  make  her  his 
wife.  He  was  a  provincial  and  a  Fleming,  without 
malice;  he  lacked  neither  devotion  nor  kindness  of 
heart;  but  he  had  an  artless  egotism  which  made  his 
good  qualities  incomplete,  and  absurd  mannerisms 
which  detracted  from  his  personal  attractiveness. 

At  that  moment,  Madame  Claes  remembered  how 
sharply  the  notary  had  spoken  to  her  under  the  porch 
of  Saint-Pierre,  and  observed  the  great  overturn 
which  her  reply  had  caused  in  his  manners;  she 
divined  the  course  of  his  thoughts,  and  with  a  far- 
seeing  glance  she  tried  to  read  her  daughter's  mind 
to  ascertain  if  she  were  thinking  of  her  cousin;  but 
she  detected  no  indication  of  anything  but  the  most 
absolute  indifference. 


THE   QUEST  OF  THE   ABSOLUTE  83 

After  they  had  conversed  a  few  moments  concern- 
ing the  gossip  of  the  town,  the  master  of  the  house 
came  down  from  his  apartment,  where  his  wife  had 
heard  with  indescribable  pleasure  the  creaking  of 
boots  on  the  floor.  His  step,  like  that  of  a  young 
and  active  man,  announced  a  complete  metamor- 
phosis, and  Madame  Claes's  suspense  was  so  ago- 
nizing that  she  could  with  difficulty  restrain  a 
spasmodic  movement  when  he  descended  the  stairs. 
Balthazar  soon  made  his  appearance,  dressed  ac- 
cording to  the  prevailing  fashion.  He  wore  top- 
boots  well  polished,  which  showed  the  top  of  a 
white  silk  stocking,  blue  cashmere  breeches  with 
gilt  buttons,  a  white  flowered  waistcoat,  and  a  blue 
frock-coat.  He  had  shaved,  combed,  and  perfumed 
his  hair,  trimmed  his  nails,  and  washed  his  hands 
with  such  care  that  he  would  hardly  have  been 
recognized  by  those  who  had  seen  him  of  late. 
Instead  of  an  old  man  almost  in  his  dotage,  his 
wife,  his  children,  and  the  notary  saw  a  man  of 
forty  years,  whose  affable,  courteous  face  and  ex- 
pression were  most  attractive  and  charming.  Even 
the  fatigue  and  anxiety  betrayed  by  the  sharpness 
of  the  face  and  the  clinging  of  the  skin  to  the  bones 
had  a  sort  of  fascination. 

"  Good-afternoon,  Pierquin,"  said  Balthazar  Claes. 

Once  more  a  father  and  husband,  the  chemist  took 
his  last  child  from  his  wife's  lap  and  lifted  him  high 
in  the  air,  tossing  him  rapidly  up  and  down. 

"See  this  little  fellow!"  he  said  to  the  notary. 
"  Doesn't  such  a  pretty  creature  make  you  long  to 


84  THE  QUEST  OF  THE   ABSOLUTE 

marry?  Believe  me,  my  dear  fellow,  family  joys 
afford  consolation  for  everything. — B-r-r-r!"  he  ex- 
claimed, throwing  Jean  in  the  air;  "pound!"  as  he 
brought  him  down  to  the  floor.    "B-r-r-r!  pound!" 

The  child  shrieked  with  laughter  when  he  found 
himself  at  one  moment  against  the  ceiling  and  the 
next  moment  on  the  floor.  The  mother  turned  her 
head  away  in  order  not  to  betray  the  emotion  caused 
by  a  game,  so  simple  in  appearance,  which  meant  to 
her  a  complete  domestic  revolution. 

"Let's  see  how  you  walk,"  said  Balthazar,  put- 
ting the  child  on  the  floor  and  throwing  himself  into 
an  easy-chair. 

The  boy  ran  to  his  father,  attracted  by  the  glitter 
of  the  gilt  buttons  on  his  breeches,  above  the  boot- 
tops. 

"You're  a  darling!"  said  the  father,  kissing  him; 
"you're  a  true  Claes,  you  walk  straight. — Well, 
Gabriel,  how's  Pere  Morillon,"  he  asked  his  oldest 
son,  taking  him  by  the  ear  and  pulling  it;  "  do  you 
defend  yourself  gallantly  against  themes  and  trans- 
lations? do  you  bite  sharp  at  mathematics?" 

Then  Balthazar  rose,  went  to  Pierquin,  and  said, 
with  the  affectionate  courtesy  characteristic  of  him: 

"  My  dear  fellow,  have  you  anything  to  ask  me?" 

He  took  his  arm  and  led  him  into  the  garden,  add- 
ing: 

"  Come  and  see  my  tulips." 

Madame  Claes  watched  her  husband  as  he  left 
the  room,  and  was  unable  to  restrain  her  joy  at  see- 
ing him  so  youthful,  so  agreeable,  so  thoroughly  like 


THE  QUEST  OF  THE   ABSOLUTE  85 

himself;  she  rose,  put  her  arm  around  her  daughter's 
waist  and  kissed  her. 

"  My  dear  Marguerite,  my  darling  child,  I  love  you 
even  more  than  usual  to-day,"  she  said. 

"  It's  a  long  time  since  1  have  seen  papa  in  such 
good  humor,"  was  the  reply. 

Lemulquinier  announced  that  dinner  was  served. 
To  avoid  taking  Pierquin's  arm,  Madame  Claes  took 
Balthazar's,  and  the  whole  family  adjourned  to  the 
dining-room. 

That  room,  the  ceiling  of  which  consisted  of  rafters 
in  plain  sight,  but  embellished  by  paintings,  and 
scoured  and  freshened  every  year,  was  furnished 
with  high  oak  sideboards  on  which  were  displayed 
the  most  curious  pieces  of  the  family  plate.  The 
walls  were  hung  with  purple  leather  whereon  hunt- 
ing subjects  were  printed  in  gold.  Above  the  side- 
boards here  and  there  were  feathers  of  strange  birds 
and  rare  shells,  carefully  arranged.  The  chairs  had 
not  been  changed  since  the  beginning  of  the  six- 
teenth century;  they  were  of  the  square  pattern 
with  twisted  legs,  and  small  backs,  upholstered  in 
fringed  stuffs,  which  was  in  such  general  use  that 
Raphael  illustrated  it  in  his  picture  called  the  Madonna 
of  the  Chair.  The  wood  had  turned  black,  but  the 
gilt  nails  shone  as  if  they  were  new,  and  the  cover- 
ings, carefully  renovated,  were  of  a  beautiful  shade  of 
red.  That  room  was  a  perfect  reproduction  of  Flan- 
ders with  its  Spanish  innovations.  The  carafes  and 
flagons  on  the  table  had  the  air  of  respectability  im- 
parted by  their  graceful  rounded  outlines  of  antique 


86  THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE 

pattern.  The  glasses  were  the  genuine  old  long- 
stemmed  glasses  that  we  see  in  all  the  pictures  of 
the  Dutch  or  Flemish  school.  The  dinner  service, 
decorated  with  colored  figures  after  the  style  of 
Bernard  Palissy,  was  from  the  English  manufactory 
of  Wedgwood.  The  silverware  was  massive,  with 
square  faces  and  repousse-work,  genuine  old  family 
plate,  the  different  pieces  of  which,  all  varying  in 
carving,  style,  and  shape,  marked  the  beginning  of 
the  prosperity  and  the  progress  of  the  fortune  of  the 
family  of  Claes.  The  napkins  had  fringe,  a  wholly 
Spanish  fashion.  As  for  the  linen,  the  reader  will 
readily  understand  that  it  was  a  point  of  honor  with 
the  Claes  to  possess  a  supply  magnificent  in  quality 
and  quantity.  The  tableware  and  plate  we  have 
described  were  intended  for  the  daily  use  of  the 
family.  The  house  in  front,  where  parties  were  held, 
had  its  own  especial  treasures,  whose  marvels,  held 
in  reserve  for  gala  occasions,  were  surrounded  by 
that  solemn  veneration  which  vanishes  when  things 
are  degraded,  so  to  speak,  by  daily  use.  In  the  house 
in  the  rear,  everything  bore  the  stamp  of  patriarchal 
simplicity.  And,  lastly, — a  charming  detail, — a  vine 
ran  along  outside  the  windows,  which  were  every- 
where surrounded  by  its  foliage. 

"  You  remain  true  to  tradition,  madame,"  said  Pier- 
quin,  as  he  received  a  plate  of  that  wild  thyme  soup 
in  which  Flemish  and  Dutch  cooks  place  little  balls  of 
meat  mingled  with  pieces  of  fried  bread,  "this  is  the 
soup  our  fathers  used  to  eat  on  Sunday!  Your  house 
and  my  uncle  Des  Raquets'  are  the  only  ones  where 


THE   QUEST  OF  THE   ABSOLUTE  87 

this  soup,  historic  in  the  Low  Countries,  is  ever  seen 
in  these  days. — Ah!  I  beg  your  pardon,  old  Monsieur 
Savaron  de  Savarus  still  proudly  serves  it  in  his 
house  at  Tournai ;  but  everywhere  else  old  Flanders 
is  vanishing.  Furniture  is  made  in  the  Greek  style 
now;  we  see  nothing  but  helmets,  bucklers,  lances, 
and  fasces.  Everybody  rebuilds  his  house,  sells 
his  old  furniture,  melts  down  his  silverware,  or  ex- 
changes it  for  Sevres  porcelain,  which  cannot  com- 
pare with  old  Saxony  or  Chinese  ware.  For  my 
part,  I  am  Flemish  to  the  core.  So  that  my  heart 
bleeds  when  I  see  coppersmiths  buying  our  fine 
furniture,  incrusted  with  copper  or  brass,  for  the 
bare  value  of  the  wood  or  metal.  But  society  pro- 
poses to  change  its  skin,  I  verily  believe.  Every- 
thing, even  the  processes  of  art,  is  being  lost!  When 
everything  must  be  done  in  a  hurry,  nothing  can 
be  done  conscientiously.  During  my  last  trip  to 
Paris,  I  was  taken  to  see  the  pictures  exhibited  at 
the  Louvre.  On  my  word,  they're  no  better  than 
fire-screens,  those  pictures  without  life  or  depth,  in 
which  the  painters  seem  afraid  to  put  any  color.  And 
they  propose,  they  say,  to  overturn  our  old  school! — 
Ah!   bah!" 

"  Our  old  painters,"  rejoined  Balthazar,  "  studied 
the  different  combinations  and  the  resistance  of 
colors  by  subjecting  them  to  the  action  of  the  sun 
and  rain.  But  you  are  right;  to-day,  the  material 
resources  of  art  are  less  cultivated  than  ever." 

Madame  Claes  was  not  listening  to  the  conversa- 
tion.   When  she  heard  the  notary  say  that  porcelain 


88  THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE 

services  were  in  fashion,  she  at  once  conceived  the 
happy  idea  of  selling  the  massive  silverware  she  had 
inherited  from  her  brother,  hoping  in  that  way  to  be 
able  to  pay  the  thirty  thousand  francs  owed  by  her 
husband. 

"  By  the  way,"  said  Balthazar  to  the  notary, 
when  Madame  Claes  gave  her  attention  anew  to  the 
conversation,  "are  people  talking  about  my  work 
here  in  Douai?" 

"Yes,"  replied  Pierquin,  "everybody  wonders 
what  you  are  spending  so  much  money  upon.  Yes- 
terday I  heard  the  first  president  deploring  that  a 
man  of  your  talent  should  be  trying  to  find  the  phi- 
losopher's stone.  I  took  the  liberty  to  reply  that  you 
were  too  well  educated  a  man  not  to  know  that 
that  would  be  contending  with  the  impossible,  too 
good  a  Christian  to  think  that  you  could  prevail  over 
God,  and,  like  every  other  Claes,  too  close  a  calcu- 
lator to  exchange  your  money  for  charlatan's  pow- 
der. Nevertheless,  I  will  admit  that  I  have  shared 
the  regret  caused  by  your  withdrawal  from  society. 
Really  you  no  longer  seem  to  belong  to  the  town. 
Believe  me,  madame,  you  would  have  been  delighted 
if  you  could  have  heard  the  words  of  praise  which 
everybody  took  pleasure  in  saying  of  you  and  Mon- 
sieur Claes." 

"  You  have  acted  the  part  of  a  loyal  kinsman  in 
repelling  imputations,  the  least  harmful  result  of 
which  would  be  to  make  me  ridiculous,"  replied 
Balthazar.  "Ah!  the  people  of  Douai  believe  that 
I  am  ruined !     In  two  months,  my  dear  Pierquin,  I 


THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE  89 

will  celebrate  the  anniversary  of  my  wedding  by  a 
fete  which  will  win  back  for  me  the  esteem  that  our 
dear  compatriots  accord  to  gold  pieces." 

Madame  Claes  blushed  crimson.  That  anniver- 
sary had  been  overlooked  for  two  years.  Like  those 
madmen  who  have  moments  during  which  their  fac- 
ulties gleam  with  unaccustomed  brilliancy,  Balthazar 
had  never  been  so  bright  and  sparkling  in  his  affec- 
tionate tenderness.  He  lavished  attentions  upon  his 
children,  and  his  conversation  was  fascinating  in 
grace  and  wit  and  aptness.  That  return  of  the  pa- 
ternal instinct,  so  long  absent,  was  certainly  the 
most  delightful  boon  he  could  confer  on  his  wife, 
and  his  words  and  glances  had  resumed  that  con- 
stantly sympathetic  expression  which  is  felt  from 
heart  to  heart,  and  which  demonstrates  a  charming 
identity  of  sentiment. 

Old  Lemulquinier  seemed  to  grow  younger,  he 
went  in  and  out  with  unaccustomed  activity  caused 
by  the  fulfilment  of  his  secret  hopes.  The  change 
that  had  suddenly  taken  place  in  his  master's  man- 
ner was  fraught  with  even  deeper  meaning  to  him 
than  to  Madame  Claes.  Where  the  family  saw  a 
return  of  happiness,  the  valet  saw  a  fortune.  By 
dint  of  assisting  Balthazar  in  his  experiments,  he 
had  espoused  his  mania.  Whether  he  had  grasped 
the  scope  of  the  chemist's  investigations  from  the 
remarks  that  escaped  him  when  his  goal  receded 
before  him,  or  whether  the  innate  tendency  of  man 
to  imitation  had  led  him  to  adopt  the  ideas  of  the 
man  in  whose  atmosphere  he  lived,  certain  it  is  that 


90  THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE 

Lemulquinier  had  conceived  for  his  master  a  super- 
stitious feeling  compounded  of  awe,  admiration,  and 
selfishness.  The  laboratory  was  to  him  what  the 
lottery  office  is  to  the  common  people,  hope  in  a 
definite  shape.  Every  night  he  said  to  himself  as 
he  went  to  bed:  "  Perhaps  we  shall  be  swimming  in 
gold  to-morrow!"  And  he  awoke  on  the  morrow 
with  a  faith  as  intense  as  on  the  night  before. 

His  name  denoted  a  purely  Flemish  origin.  For- 
merly the  common  people  were  known  only  by  a  so- 
briquet taken  from  their  trade,  their  province,  their 
physical  conformation,  or  their  moral  qualities.  That 
sobriquet  became  the  name  of  the  burgher  family 
when  they  were  enfranchised.  In  Flanders  flax 
merchants  are  called  mulquiniers,  and  such  undoubt- 
edly was  the  trade  of  that  one  of  the  old  valet's  an- 
cestors who  passed  from  the  condition  of  serf  to  that 
of  burgher,  long  before  some  misfortune  unknown  to 
history  reduced  the  mulquinier' s  descendant  to  the 
primitive  condition  of  serf,  plus  the  wages.  The 
history  of  Flanders,  of  its  flax  and  its  commerce, 
was  summed  up,  therefore,  in  that  old  servant,  often 
called,  for  euphony's  sake,  Mulquinier.  Neither 
his  character  nor  his  face  lacked  originality.  The 
latter,  triangular  in  shape,  was  broad  at  the  base, 
long,  and  seamed  by  the  small-pox,  which  had  given 
it  a  fantastic  appearance,  leaving  behind  a  multitude 
of  shiny  white  lines.  He  was  tall  and  thin,  and  his 
gait  was  solemn  and  mysterious.  His  little  yellowish 
eyes,  of  the  same  shade  as  the  smooth  yellow  wig 
he  wore  on  his  head,  cast  none  but  oblique  glances. 


THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE  91 

His  exterior,  therefore,  was  in  harmony  with  the 
sentiment  of  curiosity  he  aroused.  His  functions  as 
assistant  admitted  to  his  master's  secrets,  concern- 
ing which  he  maintained  absolute  silence,  invested 
him  with  a  certain  charm.  The  dwellers  on  Rue  de 
Paris  watched  him  pass  with  interest  not  unmixed 
with  fear,  for  his  responses  were  sibylline  and  always 
big  with  possible  treasure.  Proud  of  being  neces- 
sary to  his  master,  he  exercised  a  sort  of  quarrel- 
some authority  over  his  fellow-servants,  and  availed 
himself  of  it  to  obtain  from  them  concessions  which 
made  him  half  master  of  the  house.  Unlike  most 
Flemish  servants,  who  are  warmly  attached  to  the 
whole  family,  he  had  no  affection  for  anybody  but 
Balthazar.  If  anything  grieved  Madame  Claes,  or 
if  any  propitious  event  occurred  in  the  family,  he 
ate  his  bread  and  butter  and  drank  his  beer  with 
his  usual  phlegm. 

The  dinner  at  an  end,  Madame  Claes  suggested 
that  they  should  take  their  coffee  in  the  garden,  by 
the  cluster  of  tulips  which  grew  in  the  centre.  The 
flower-pots  containing  the  tulips,  with  the  name  of 
each  variety  carved  on  a  piece  of  slate,  had  been 
buried,  and  so  arranged  as  to  form  a  pyramid  at  the 
apex  of  which  was  a  gueule-de-dragon  tulip  of  which 
Balthazar  owned  the  only  specimens.  It  was  called 
Tulipa  Claesiana,  it  contained  the  seven  colors,  and 
the  long  indentations  of  the  petals  seemed  to  be 
gilded  on  the  edges.  Balthazar's  father,  who  had 
refused  ten  thousand  florins  for  it  several  times, 
took  such  abundant  precautions  that  not  a  single 


92  THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE 

seed  should  be  stolen  that  he  kept  it  in  his  parlor, 
and  often  passed  whole  days  gazing  at  it.  The  stalk 
was  very  large,  straight  and  firm,  and  of  a  beautiful 
green;  the  proportions  of  the  plant  were  in  harmony 
with  the  calyx,  the  colors  of  which  were  marked  by 
that  brilliancy  and  distinctness  which  formerly  gave 
such  fabulous  value  to  those  gorgeous  flowers. 

"  There  are  thirty  or  forty  thousand  francs'  worth 
of  tulips,"  said  the  notary,  glancing  alternately  at 
his  young  cousin  and  the  cluster  of  many  colors. 

Madame  Claes  was  too  enthusiastic  over  the 
beauty  of  the  flowers,  which  resembled  superb 
jewels  in  the  rays  of  the  setting  sun,  to  grasp 
clearly  the  significance  of  the  notarial  remark. 

"  What  are  they  good  for?"  continued  the  notary, 
addressing  Balthazar;  "  you  ought  to  sell  them." 

"Nonsense!  am  1  in  any  need  of  money?"  re- 
plied Claes,  with  the  gesture  of  a  man  to  whom 
forty  thousand  francs  seemed  a  very  small  matter. 

There  was  a  moment's  pause  during  which  the 
children  made  divers  exclamations: 

"O  mamma,  look  at  that  one!" 

"  Oh!  there's  a  lovely  one!" 

"What's  this  one's  name?" 

"What  a  slough  for  the  human  reason!"  cried 
Balthazar,  raising  his  clasped  hands  with  a  gesture 
of  despair.  "A  combination  of  oxygen  and  hydro- 
gen in  different  proportions  produces  in  the  same 
surroundings,  and  by  the  action  of  the  same  princi- 
ple, all  these  colors,  each  of  which  represents  a 
different  result." 


THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE  93 

His  wife  understood  the  elements  of  the  proposi- 
tion, which  was  put  forth  too  rapidly  for  her  to  grasp 
it  in  its  entirety;  Balthazar  remembered  that  she  had 
studied  his  favorite  science,  and  said  to  her,  with  a 
mysterious  sign: 

"  Even  if  you  understood,  you  could  not  know 
yet  what  I  mean!" 

And  thereupon  he  seemed  to  sink  into  one  of  those 
fits  of  meditation  which  were  usual  with  him. 

"I  should  say  not,"  said  Pierquin,  taking  a  cup 
of  coffee  from  Marguerite's  hands. — "  Drive  nature 
away,  and  it  returns  at  a  gallop!"  he  added  in  an 
undertone  to  Madame  Claes.  "  Even  if  you  are 
good  enough  to  speak  to  him  yourself,  the  devil 
could  not  lure  him  from  his  contemplation.  He  is 
in  for  it  until  to-morrow." 

He  said  good-night  to  Claes,  who  pretended  not 
to  hear  him,  kissed  little  Jean  whom  his  mother  held 
in  her  arms,  and,  with  a  profound  bow,  took  his 
leave.  When  the  door  closed  behind  him,  Balthazar 
put  his  arm  around  his  wife's  waist,  and  put  an 
end  to  the  anxiety  his  pretended  reverie  might  have 
caused  her  by  whispering  in  her  ear: 

"  I  knew  what  to  do  to  send  him  away!" 

Madame  Claes  turned  her  face  to  her  husband,  in 
no  wise  ashamed  to  let  him  see  the  tears  that  came 
to  her  eyes:  they  were  so  sweet!  then  she  laid  her 
head  on  Balthazar's  shoulder  and  let  Jean  slip  to  the 
ground. 

"  Let  us  go  back  to  the  parlor,"  she  said,  after  a 
pause. 


Throughout  the  evening,  Balthazar  was  in  an 
almost  insanely  merry  humor;  he  invented  a  thou- 
sand games  for  his  children,  and  entered  into  them 
so  heartily  himself  that  he  did  not  notice  that  his 
wife  left  the  room  two  or  three  times.  About  half- 
past  nine,  when  Jean  had  gone  to  bed,  and  Mar- 
guerite returned  to  the  parlor  after  helping  Felicie  to 
undress,  she  found  her  mother  sitting  in  the  great 
easy-chair,  and  her  father  holding  her  hand  and  talk- 
ing with  her.  She  was  afraid  that  she  might  dis- 
turb them,  and  was  about  to  leave  the  room  without 
speaking;  Madame  Claes  noticed  it  and  called  her: 

"  Come  here,  Marguerite,  come,  my  dear  child." 

She  drew  her  to  her  side  and  kissed  her  lovingly 
on  the  forehead,  saying: 

"Take  your  book  to  your  room  and  go  to  bed 
early." 

"  Good-night,  my  darling  daughter,"  said  Bal- 
thazar. 

Marguerite  kissed  her  father  and  left  the  room. 
Claes  and  his  wife  were  left  alone,  and  sat  for  a  few 
moments  watching  the  last  gleams  of  twilight  dying 
away  among  the  leaves  in  the  garden,  where  it  was 
already  dark,  so  that  their  delicate  tracery  could 
hardly  be  distinguished.  When  night  had  almost 
fallen,  Balthazar  said  to  his  wife  in  a  voice  trembling 
with  emotion: 

(95) 


96  THE   QUEST  OF  THE   ABSOLUTE 

"  Let  us  go  upstairs." 

Long  before  English  customs  had  consecrated  a 
woman's  bedroom  as  a  holy  place,  the  bedroom  of 
a  Flemish  woman  was  impenetrable.  The  excellent 
housewives  of  that  country  made  no  parade  of  their 
virtue,  but  with  them  it  was  a  habit  contracted  in 
childhood,  a  domestic  superstition,  which  made  a 
bedroom  a  charming  sanctuary  where  one  breathed 
tender  sentiments,  where  simplicity  blended  with  all 
that  is  sweetest  and  most  worthy  of  respect  in  social 
life.  In  the  peculiar  position  which  Madame  Claes 
occupied,  any  woman  would  have  striven  to  collect 
about  her  the  daintiest  objects;  but  she  had  done 
it  with  exquisite  taste,  knowing  what  influence  the 
aspect  of  our  surroundings  exerts  upon  the  feelings. 
In  a  pretty  creature,  it  would  have  been  luxurious- 
ness;  in  her  case,  it  was  a  necessity.  She  realized 
the  full  meaning  of  the  words:  "A  woman  makes 
herself  pretty!"  a  maxim  which  guided  all  the  acts 
of  Napoleon's  first  wife,  and  made  her  sometimes 
false,  whereas  Madame  Claes  was  always  natural 
and  true. 

Although  Balthazar  was  perfectly  familiar  with 
his  wife's  bedroom,  he  had  become  so  completely 
oblivious  to  the  material  things  of  life,  that  when  he 
entered  the  room  he  was  conscious  of  a  pleasant 
thrill,  as  if  he  then  saw  it  for  the  first  time.  The 
ostentatious  gayety  of  a  victorious  woman  burst 
forth  in  the  gorgeous  colors  of  the  tulips  which  pro- 
truded from  the  long  necks  of  corpulent  Chinese 
vases   skilfully  arranged,   and    in   the  profusion  of 


THE  QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE  97 

lights  whose  effect  could  be  compared  only  to  that 
of  bursts  of  joyous  music.     The  light  of  the  candles 
imparted  a  harmonious  brilliancy  to  the  gray  linen 
coverings,  the  monotony  of  which  was  relieved  by 
the  reflection  of  the  gold  decoration  sparingly  dis- 
tributed over  a  few  ornaments,  and  by  the  varied 
tints   of  the   flowers  which  resembled   sheaves   of 
precious  stones.     The  secret  of  those  preparations 
was  he,  always  he! — Josephine  could  not  have  told 
Balthazar  in  more  eloquent  words  that  he  was  al- 
ways the  active  principle  of  her  joys  and  her  sor- 
rows.    The  sight  of  that  room  induced  a  delicious 
frame  of  mind,  and  banished  all  melancholy  fancies, 
to  leave  only  the  feeling  of  pure,  unruffled  happi- 
ness.     The   material   of  the   hangings,    bought   in 
China,  exhaled  that  delicious  fragrance  which  pene- 
trates the  body  without  wearying  it.     And  the  cur- 
tains, carefully  drawn,  betrayed  a  desire  for  solitude, 
a  jealous  purpose  to  keep  to  herself  the  slightest 
sound  of  the  voice,  and  to  confine  within  those  walls 
the  glances  of  her  reconquered  husband.     With  her 
beautiful  black  hair,  perfectly  smooth,  falling  on  each 
side  of  her  face  like  the  wings  of  a  raven,  Madame 
Claes,  enveloped  in  a  peignoir  which  extended  to  the 
neck  and  over  which  was  a  long  pelerine  flounced 
with  lace,  drew  the  tapestry  portiere,  which  excluded 
all  sounds  from  without. 

From  the  doorway,  Josephine  bestowed  upon  her 
husband,  who  had  seated  himself  by  the  fireplace, 
one  of  those  bright  smiles  by  which  a  clever  woman, 
whose  heart  sometimes  lends  animation  to  her  face, 

7 


98  THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE 

can  express  irresistible  hopes.  A  woman's  greatest 
charm  consists  in  a  constant  appeal  to  man's  gener- 
osity, in  a  graceful  declaration  of  weakness  whereby 
she  inflates  his  pride  and  awakens  the  noblest  senti- 
ments in  his  breast.  Does  not  a  confession  of  weak- 
ness carry  with  it  magical  seduction? 

When  the  rings  of  the  portiere  had  slipped  almost 
noiselessly  along  their  wooden  pole,  she  turned  to  her 
husband,  and  seemed  to  try  to  disguise  her  bodily 
infirmities  at  that  moment  by  resting  her  hand  on  a 
chair  in  order  to  walk  gracefully.  It  was  like  an 
appeal  for  help.  Balthazar,  who  had  lost  himself  a 
moment  in  contemplation  of  that  dark  face  which 
stood  out  against  the  gray  background,  attracting  and 
satisfying  the  eye,  rose,  took  his  wife  in  his  arms, 
and  carried  her  to  the  couch.  That  was  what  she 
wanted. 

"You  promised,"  she  said,  taking  his  hand  and 
holding  it  in  her  own  electrifying  ones,  "to  admit 
me  to  the  secret  of  your  investigations.  You  must 
agree,  my  dear,  that  1  am  worthy  to'  know  it,  since  I 
have  had  the  courage  to  study  a  science  condemned 
by  the  Church,  in  order  to  qualify  myself  to  under- 
stand you;  but  I  am  inquisitive,  do  not  conceal  any- 
thing from  me.  Come,  tell  me  how  it  happened  that 
you  rose  one  morning  thoughtful  and  careworn  when 
1  had  left  you  so  happy  the  night  before?" 

"Was  it  to  hear  me  talk  chemistry  that  you 
arrayed  yourself  so  coquettishly?" 

"  My  dear,  is  it  not  the  very  greatest  of  pleasures 
for  me  to  receive  a  confidence  from  you  which  will 


THE   QUEST  OF  THE   ABSOLUTE  99 

strengthen  my  hold  upon  your  heart?  does  not  a 
mutual  understanding  between  hearts  comprise  and 
engender  all  the  joys  of  life?  Your  love  comes  back 
to  me  pure  and  unshared;  I  wish  to  know  what  train 
of  ideas  has  been  powerful  enough  to  deprive  me  of 
it  so  long.  Yes,  I  am  more  jealous  of  a  thought  than 
of  all  women  put  together.  Love  is  vast,  but  it  is 
not  infinite;  while  science  has  immeasurable  depths 
into  which  1  cannot  bear  to  see  you  go  all  alone.  I 
detest  everything  that  can  force  itself  between  us. 
If  you  should  obtain  the  renown  you  seek,  it  would 
make  me  unhappy:  for  it  would  cause  you  keen 
enjoyment,  would  it  not?  And  I  alone,  monsieur, 
should  be  the  source  of  all  your  pleasures." 

"  It  was  not  an  idea,  my  angel,  but  a  man,  who 
turned  my  steps  into  this  glorious  path." 

"A  man!"  she  cried  in  dismay. 

"  Do  you  remember  the  Polish  officer,  Pepita, 
who  stayed  with  us  in  1809?" 

"  Do  I  remember  him!"  she  exclaimed.  "  I  have 
often  lost  patience  with  myself  because  my  memory 
so  often  brings  before  me  those  two  eyes  of  his,  like 
tongues  of  flames,  the  great  hollows  over  his  eyes  in 
which  you  could  see  burning  coals  as  from  hell,  his 
enormous  bald  head,  his  twisted  moustaches,  his  an- 
gular, wasted  face! — And  what  horrible  tranquillity 
in  his  bearing  and  gait! — If  there  had  been  room  in 
any  of  the  inns,  he  certainly  would  not  have  slept 
here." 

"That  Polish  gentleman's  name  was  Monsieur 
Adam  de  Wierzchownia,"  said  Balthazar.    "When 


100  THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE 

you  had  left  us  alone  in  the  parlor  that  night,  we 
began  to  talk,  and  by  chance  got  upon  the  subject  of 
chemistry.  Compelled  by  poverty  to  abandon  the 
study  of  that  science,  he  had  joined  the  army.  I  be- 
lieve that  we  were  having  a  glass  of  sugared  water 
together  when  we  recognized  one  another  as  adepts. 
When  I  told  Mulquinier  to  bring  the  sugar  in  lumps, 
the  captain  made  a  gesture  of  surprise. 

"  '  Have  you  studied  chemistry?'  he  asked. 

"  '  With  Lavoisier,'  I  replied. 

"  '  You  are  very  fortunate  to  be  free  and  rich!'  he 
cried. 

"And  there  issued  from  his  breast  one  of  those 
sighs  which  reveal  a  hell  of  grief  hidden  in  a  brain 
or  confined  in  a  heart — ardent,  concentrated  emotion 
which  words  cannot  describe.  He  completed  his 
thought  with  a  glance  that  froze  my  blood.  After 
a  pause,  he  said  to  me  that,  Poland  being  practically 
dead,  he  had  taken  refuge  in  Sweden.  He  had 
sought  consolation  there  in  the  study  of  chemistry, 
for  which  he  had  always  felt  an  irresistible  vocation. 

"'\  see,'  he  added,  'that  you,  like  myself,  have 
discovered  that  gum-arabic,  sugar,  and  starch,  when 
pulverized,  produce  absolutely  similar  substances, 
which  show,  upon  analysis,  the  same  qualitative 
result.' 

"  He  paused  again,  and,  after  scrutinizing  me 
closely,  he  talked  with  me  in  an  undertone,  confi- 
dentially and  in  solemn  words,  of  which  the  general 
bearing  only  has  remained  in  my  memory;  but  he 
spoke  with  a  power  and  earnestness  of  intonation, 


THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE  101 

with  an  eloquence  of  gesture,  which  moved  my  very 
entrails  and  belabored  my  understanding  as  the 
hammer  strikes  the  iron  on  an  anvil.  This  is  a 
summary  of  the  arguments  which  were  to  me  the 
burning  coals  that  God  placed  upon  Isaiah's  tongue, 
for  my  studies  with  Lavoisier  enabled  me  to  under- 
stand their  full  scope: 

"'Monsieur/  he  said,  'the  similarity  of  those 
three  substances,  apparently  so  distinct,  led  me  to 
reflect  that  all  the  products  of  nature  probably  had 
one  and  the  same  active  principle.  The  investiga- 
tions of  modern  chemistry  have  demonstrated  the 
truth  of  the  law  as  to  the  great  majority  of  natural 
effects.  Chemistry  divides  creation  into  two  dis- 
tinct portions:  organic  and  inorganic  nature.  Or- 
ganic nature,  including  all  creations,  vegetable  or 
animal,  which  display  an  organization,  more  or  less 
perfect,  or,  to  be  more  exact,  a  greater  or  less  power 
of  motion  which  governs  their  sentient  power, — 
organic  nature,  I  say,  is  certainly  the  most  impor- 
tant part  of  our  world.  Now,  analysis  has  reduced 
all  the  products  of  organic  nature  to  four  elementary 
substances:  three  gases,  nitrogen,  hydrogen,  and 
oxygen;  and  another  non-metallic  solid  substance, 
carbon.  Inorganic  nature,  on  the  contrary,  which 
varies  so  little,  which  is  without  motion  or  feeling, 
and  to  which  we  can  safely  deny  the  power  of 
growth  which  Linnaeus  unthinkingly  attributed  to 
it,  includes  fifty-three  elementary  substances,  whose 
different  combinations  form  all  its  products.  Is  it 
probable  that  the  elements  are  more  numerous  where 


102  THE  QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE 

fewer  results  are  produced?  My  former  master's 
opinion,  therefore,  was  that  those  fifty-three  sub- 
stances have  a  common  basic  principle,  originally 
modified  by  the  action  of  a  power  which  has  ceased 
to  exist  to-day,  but  which  human  genius  should  be 
able  to  re-establish.  Suppose  that  power  is  stirred 
to  activity  once  more,  we  shall  have  a  Unitary  chem- 
istry. Organic  and  inorganic  nature  would  then 
seem  to  be  based  upon  four  elements,  and,  if  we 
could  succeed  in  decomposing  nitrogen,  which  we 
must  consider  a  negation,  we  should  have  only 
three.  Which  brings  us  at  once  to  the  great  Ternary 
of  the  ancients  and  of  the  alchemists  of  the  Middle 
Ages,  which  we  do  wrong  to  ridicule.  Modern  chem- 
istry is  as  yet  only  that.  It  is  much  and  it  is  little. 
It  is  much,  for  chemistry  is  accustomed  to  recoil  at 
no  obstacle;  it  is  little  compared  with  what  still  re- 
mains to  be  done.  Chance  has  done  that  noble 
science  good  service!  For  instance,  did  not  that 
crystallized  tear  of  pure  carbon,  the  diamond,  seem 
to  be  the  last  substance  that  it  was  possible  to 
create?  The  ancient  alchemists,  who  believed  that 
gold  could  be  decomposed  and  consequently  that  it 
could  be  made,  recoiled  at  the  idea  of  producing  the 
diamond;  and  yet  we  have  discovered  its  nature  and 
the  law  governing  its  composition.  I,'  he  added, 
'have  gone  even  further!  An  experiment  proved 
to  me  that  the  mysterious  Ternary,  which  has  occu- 
pied men's  minds  from  "time  immemorial,  will  not  be 
found  in  analyses  conducted  according  to  present 
methods,  which  lack  direction  toward  a  fixed  point. 


THE  QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE  103 

Here  is  the  experiment. — Plant  the  seeds  of  some  or- 
ganic substance,  water-cress,  for  instance,  in  some 
inorganic  substance,  say  sulphur.  Water  the  seeds 
with  distilled  water,  in  order  that  no  substance  of 
which  we  know  nothing  may  find  its  way  into  the 
product  of  the  germination.  The  seeds  sprout  and 
grow  in  a  soil  of  which  we  know  the  composition, 
feeding  only  upon  substances  known  to  us  by  anal- 
ysis. Cut  the  stalks  of  the  plants  several  times,  in 
order  to  procure  a  sufficiently  large  quantity  to  pro- 
duce several  drachms  of  ashes  when  burned,  so  that 
you  will  have  an  appreciable  bulk  to  operate  upon: 
well,  upon  analyzing  the  ashes,  you  will  find  silicic 
acid,  aluminum,  calcium,  phosphate,  and  carbonate, 
magnesium  carbonate,  sulphate  and  carbonate  of 
potash  and  oxide  of  iron,  just  as  if  the  water-cress 
had  grown  in  the  earth,  on  the  edge  of  the  water. 
Now,  these  substances  do  not  exist  in  the  sulphur, 
an  elementary  substance,  which  served  as  soil  for 
the  plant,  nor  in  the  water  used  to  water  it,  the 
composition  of  which  is  perfectly  well  known;  but, 
as  they  do  not  exist  in  the  seeds  either,  we  cannot 
explain  their  presence  in  the  plant  except  by  sup- 
posing an  element  common  to  the  substances  con- 
tained in  the  water-cress  and  to  those  in  which  it 
has  grown.  Thus  the  air,  distilled  water,  sulphur, 
and  the  substances  exhibited  by  the  analysis  of  the 
water-cress,  namely,  potassium,  limestone,  magne- 
sium, aluminum,  etc.,  must  have  a  common  element 
wandering  about  in  the  atmosphere  as  produced  by 
the  sun.     From  that  infallible  experiment,'  he  cried, 


104  THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE 

'  I  deduced  the  existence  of  the  Absolute !  A  sub- 
stance common  to  all  created  things,  modified  by  a 
single  force,  such  is  a  precise  and  clear  statement  of 
the  problem  presented  by  the  Absolute,  a  problem 
which  seemed  to  me  capable  of  solution.  There  you 
will  find  the  mysterious  Ternary,  before  which  man- 
kind has  knelt  in  all  ages:  original  matter,  the  cause, 
the  result.  You  will  find  that  terrible  number  Three 
in  everything  human,  it  dominates  religions,  sciences, 
laws.  At  that  point,'  he  added,  'war  and  poverty 
arrested  my  labors. — You  are  a  pupil  of  Lavoisier, 
you  are  rich  and  master  of  your  time,  so  that  I  can 
properly  confide  to  you  my  conjectures.  This  is  the 
result  to  which  my  own  private  experiments  have 
caused  me  to  look  forward.  THE  ONE  SUBSTANCE 
must  be  an  element  common  to  the  three  gases  and 
carbon.  The  MEDIUM  must  be  the  element  common 
to  positive  electricity  and  negative  electricity.  Pro- 
ceed to  the  discovery  of  the  proofs  which  will  es- 
tablish these  two  truths,  and  you  will  possess  the 
supreme  secret  of  all  the  results  produced  by  nature. 
O  monsieur,'  he  said,  striking  his  forehead,  '  when 
one  carries  here  the  last  word  of  creation,  feeling  a 
conviction  of  the  existence  of  the  Absolute,  can  one 
call  it  living  to  be  carried  hither  and  thither  in  the 
rush  of  this  multitude  of  men,  who  push  and  jostle 
one  another  without  knowing  what  they  are  doing? 
My  present  life  is  the  exact  opposite  of  a  dream. 
My  body  goes  and  comes,  acts,  finds  itself  in  the 
midst  of  guns  and  troops  and  fire,  travels  from  one 
end  of  Europe  to  the  other  at  the  dictates  of  a  power 


THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE  105 

which  I  obey  while  I  despise  it.     My  mind  is  uncon- 
scious of  my  acts,  it  remains  absorbed  by  one  fixed 
idea,  benumbed  by  that  idea,  the  Search  for  the  Ab- 
solute, for  that  principle,  by  means  of  which  seeds 
absolutely  the  same,  placed  in  the  same  soil,  pro- 
duce   in    one   case  white   flowers,  in    another  case 
yellow  flowers!     The  same  phenomenon  is  true  of 
silk-worms,  which,  fed  on  the  same  leaves  and  con- 
stituted apparently  in  the  same  way,  produce  white 
silk  and  yellow  silk;  and  of  man  himself,  who  often 
has  legitimate  children  entirely  unlike  their  mother 
and  himself.     Moreover,  does  not  the  logical  deduc- 
tion from  these  facts  imply  an  explanation  of  all  the 
effects  of  nature?     Tell  me,  what  is  more  consist- 
ent with  our  views  concerning  God  than  to  believe 
that  He  did  everything  in  the  simplest  way?     The 
Pythagorean  adoration  of  the  ONE,  from  which  all 
numbers  come,  and  which  represents  the  one  orig- 
inal substance;  the  adoration  of  the  number  TWO, 
the  first  aggregation  of  units  and  the  type  of  all 
others;  that  of  the  number  THREE,  which  in  all  times 
has  stood  for  God,  that  is  to  say,  matter,  force,  and 
product, — represented  traditionally  the  sum  total  of 
the  ill-defined  knowledge  of  the  Absolute!     Stahl, 
Becher,  Paracelsus,  Agrippa,  all  the  great  seekers 
for  hidden   causes   had  for  their  password   Trisme- 
gistus,  which  means  the  great  Ternary.     Ignorant 
men,  accustomed  to  frown  upon  alchemy,  that  tran- 
scendent chemistry,  are  doubtless  unaware  that  we 
are  devoting  ourselves  to  justifying  the  ardent  in- 
vestigations of  those  great  men!     When  I  had  found 


106  THE  QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE 

the  Absolute,  I  intended  to  lay  hold  of  the  principle 
of  Motion.  Ah!  while  I  am  feeding  on  powder  and 
ordering  men  to  death  to  no  purpose,  my  old  master 
is  heaping  discovery  on  discovery,  he  is  flying  to- 
ward the  Absolute!  And  I  shall  die  like  a  dog  in  the 
corner  of  some  battery!' 

"When  that  unfortunate  great  man  had  become 
somewhat  calmer,  he  said  to  me,  with  a  touching 
sort  of  fraternity: 

'"If  I  should  think  of  any  new  experiment  to  be 
made,  I  will  bequeath  it  to  you  when  I  die.' 

"My  Pepita,"  said  Balthazar,  pressing  his  wife's 
hand,  "  tears  of  passionate  excitement  rolled  down 
that  man's  hollow  cheeks  while  he  kindled  in  my 
mind  the  flame  of  that  reasoning  which  Lavoisier 
had  already  timidly  suggested,  without  daring  to 
give  way  to  it — " 

"What!"  cried  Madame  Claes,  unable  to  restrain 
her  impulse  to  interrupt  her  husband,  "that  man, 
passing  a  single  night  under  our  roof,  took  your 
affection  from  us,  destroyed  the  happiness  of  a  whole 
family  by  a  single  sentence,  a  single  phrase?  O  my 
dear  Balthazar,  did  that  man  make  the  sign  of  the 
Cross?  did  you  examine  him  closely?  No  one  but 
the  Tempter  can  have  that  yellow  eye  from  which 
flashed  the  fire  of  Prometheus.  Yes,  the  devil  alone 
could  tear  you  away  from  me.  Since  that  day,  you 
have  been  neither  father  nor  husband,  nor  head  of 
the  family — " 

"  What,"  exclaimed  Balthazar,  springing  to  his 
feet  and  casting  a  piercing  glance  at  his  wife,  "  you 


THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE  107 

reproach  your  husband  for  rising  above  other  men 
in  order  that  he  may  spread  beneath  your  feet  the 
divine  purple  of  renown  as  a  trifling  offering  com- 
pared with  the  treasures  of  your  heart?  Why,  then 
you  do  not  know  what  I  have  done  in  three  years! 
I  have  made  gigantic  strides,  my  Pepita!"  he  said 
with  animation. 

His  face  at  that  moment  appeared  to  his  wife  more 
resplendent  with  the  fire  of  genius  than  it  had  ever 
been  with  the  fire  of  love,  and  she  wept  as  she 
listened  to  him. 

"1  have  combined  chlorine  and  nitrogen,  I  have  an- 
alyzed several  substances  hitherto  considered  simple, 
I  have  discovered  new  metals.  Listen,"  he  said, 
noticing  his  wife's  tears,  "I  have  analyzed  tears. 
Tears  contain  a  little  phosphate  of  lime,  chloride  of 
sodium,  mucous,  and  water." 

He  talked  on,  not  observing  the  ghastly  convulsion 
which  distorted  Josephine's  face;  he  was  mounted 
on  Science,  which  bore  him  away,  with  outspread 
wings,  far  from  the  material  world. 

"  That  analysis,  my  dear,  is  one  of  the  strongest 
proofs  of  the  theory  of  the  Absolute.  All  life  im- 
plies combustion.  Life  is  more  or  less  persistent  in 
proportion  to  the  activity  of  the  blaze.  Thus  the 
destruction  of  minerals  is  indefinitely  delayed,  be- 
cause combustion  is  virtual,  suspended  or  impercep- 
tible. Thus  the  vegetables,  which  are  constantly 
refreshed  by  the  combination  which  results  in  mois- 
ture, live  on  indefinitely,  and  there  are  several  veg- 
etables in  existence  which  date   back  to  the   last 


108  THE  QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE 

cataclysm.  But,  whenever  nature  has  perfected  a 
piece  of  apparatus,  when,  with  some  unknown  pur- 
pose, it  has  endowed  it  with  feeling,  instinct,  or 
intelligence,  three  established  steps  in  the  organic 
system,  those  three  organisms  demand  a  combustion 
whose  activity  is  in  direct  proportion  to  the  result 
obtained.  Man,  who  represents  the  highest  degree 
of  intelligence,  and  who  offers  the  only  apparatus 
from  which  results  a  semi-creative  power,  thought! 
is  that  one  among  zoological  creations  in  which  com- 
bustion is  found  in  its  greatest  intensity,  its  powerful 
effects  being  in  a  measure  revealed  by  the  phos- 
phates, sulphates,  and  carbonates  which  his  body 
furnishes  according  to  our  analysis.  May  not  these 
substances  be  the  traces  left  in  him  by  the  action  of 
the  electric  fluid,  the  basis  of  all  fertilization?  Would 
not  electricity  manifest  itself  in  him  by  more  varied 
combinations  than  in  any  other  animal?  May  he 
not  have  faculties  greater  than  those  of  any  other 
creature  in  order  to  absorb  larger  portions  of  the 
absolute  principle,  and  may  he  not  assimilate  them 
in  order  to  fashion  his  strength  and  his  ideas  there- 
with in  a  more  perfect  machine?  I  believe  it.  Man 
is  a  retort.  For  instance,  according  to  my  theory,  the 
idiot  is  the  man  whose  brain  contains  the  smallest 
amount  of  phosphorus,  or  any  other  product  of  elec- 
tro-magnetism; the  madman,  he  whose  brain  con- 
tains too  much  of  it;  the  ordinary  man,  he  whose 
brain  has  a  moderate  supply;  the  man  of  genius,  he 
whose  brain  is  saturated  with  it  to  a  suitable  degree. 
The  man  who  is  always  in  love,  the   porter,  the 


THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE  109 

dancer,  the  great  eater,  are  the  ones  who  misuse 
the  resultant  force  of  their  electric  apparatus.  Thus, 
our  sentiments — " 

"Enough,  Balthazar!  you  terrify  me,  you  are 
committing  sacrilege!     What!  my  love  is — " 

"Ethereal  matter  setting  itself  free,"  replied 
Claes,  "and  that  undoubtedly  is  the  key  to  the 
Absolute.  Just  think  if  I  should  be  the  first  to  find 
it_the  first  to  find  it— the  first  to  find  it!" 

As  he  said  the  words  in  three  different  tones,  his 
face  gradually  took  on  the  expression  of  one  inspired. 

"I  shall  make  metals!  I  shall  make  diamonds!  I 
shall  copy  nature!"  he  cried. 

"  Will  you  be  happier  for  it?"  demanded  Josephine 
in  despair.  "Accursed  science!  accursed  demon!  You 
forget,  Claes,  that  you  are  committing  the  sin  of 
pride,  of  which  Satan  was  guilty.  You  encroach 
upon  God's  prerogative." 

"Oho!  God!" 

"  He  denies  Him!"  she  cried,  wringing  her  hands. — 
"  Claes,  God  possesses  a  power  that  you  will  never 
have." 

At  that  argument,  which  seemed  to  annihilate  his 
cherished  science,  he  gazed  at  his  wife,  trembling. 

"What  is  that?"  he  asked. 

"The  only  force,  Motion.  That  is  the  one  fact  I 
have  found  scattered  through  the  books  you  have 
forced  me  to  read.  Analyze  flowers,  fruits,  Malaga 
wine;  to  be  sure,  you  will  discover  their  elements, 
which  are  produced  like  those  of  your  water-cress, 
in  an  environment  which  seems  foreign  to  them; 


110  THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE 

you  can,  possibly,  find  them  in  nature;  but  can  you, 
by  putting  them  together,  produce  those  flowers, 
those  fruits,  that  Malaga  wine?  will  you  control  the 
incomprehensible  effects  of  the  sunlight  ?  Will  you 
obtain  the  atmosphere  of  Spain?  To  decompose  is 
not  to  create." 

"  If  I  discover  the  coercive  force,  I  shall  be  able  to 
create." 

"Nothing  will  stop  him!"  cried  Pepita  in  a  de- 
spairing voice.  "Oh!  my  .love,  he  is  dead,  I  have 
ruined  him." 

She  burst  into  tears,  and  her  eyes,  animated  by 
grief  and  by  the  sanctified  sentiments  they  ex- 
pressed, gleamed  more  beautiful  than  ever  through 
her  tears. 

"  Yes,"  she  continued,  sobbing  bitterly,  "  you  are 
dead  to  everything.  I  see  clearly  that  science  is 
more  powerful  within  you  than  yourself,  and  it  has 
carried  you  too  high  in  its  flight  for  you  ever  to  de- 
scend to  be  a  poor  woman's  companion.  What  hap- 
piness can  I  offer  you  now?  Ah!  I  would  that  1 
could  think — it  would  be  a  melancholy  sort  of  con- 
solation— that  God  created  you  to  make  His  works 
manifest  and  to  sing  His  praises,  that  He  confined  in 
your  breast  an  irresistible  force  which  has  conquered 
you.  But  no,  God  is  good,  He  would  leave  in  your 
heart  some  few  thoughts  for  a  wife  who  adores  you, 
for  children  whom  it  is  your  duty  to  protect.  The 
devil  alone  can  assist  you  to  walk  by  yourself  amid 
those  abysses  from  which  there  is  no  egress,  amid 
that  darkness  where  your  path  is  lighted  not  by  faith 


THE   QUEST  OF  THE   ABSOLUTE  III 

from  on  high,  but  by  a  ghastly  belief  in  your  own 
faculties!  Otherwise,  would  you  not  have  noticed, 
my  dear,  that  you  have  spent  nine  hundred  thousand 
francs  in  three  years?  Oh!  be  just  to  me,  you  who 
are  my  god  on  earth,  I  make  no  reproaches.  If  we 
were  alone  in  the  world,  I  would  bring  all  our  wealth 
to  your  feet,  and  say:  'Take  it,  throw  it  into  your 
furnace,  make  smoke  of  it!'  and  I  would  laugh  to 
see  it  fly  away.  If  you  were  poor,  I  would  go  out 
and  beg,  without  thought  of  shame,  to  obtain  the 
coal  necessary  to  keep  your  furnace  hot.  Indeed, 
if,  by  throwing  myself  into  it,  I  could  help  you  to 
find  your  execrable  Absolute,  Claes,  I  would  do  it 
joyfully,  since  you  rest  your  renown  and  your  hap- 
piness on  that  still  undiscovered  secret. — But  our 
children,  Claes!  our  children!  what  will  become  of 
them  if  you  do  not  soon  solve  this  secret  of  hell? 
Do  you  know  why  Pierquin  came  here?  He  came 
to  demand  thirty  thousand  francs  which  you  owe,  and 
which  you  have  not.  Your  property  is  no  longer 
your  own.  I  told  him  that  you  had  the  thirty  thou- 
sand francs  in  order  to  spare  you  the  embarrassment 
his  questions  would  have  caused  you;  but  I  thought 
of  selling  our  old  silverware  in  order  to  raise  the 
money." 

She  saw  that  tears  were  gathering  in  her  hus- 
band's eyes,  and  threw  herself  desperately  at  his 
feet,  raising  her  clasped  hands  imploringly. 

"  JWy  dear  love,"  she  cried,  "cease  your  investi- 
gations for  a  moment,  and  let  us  save  the  money 
that  you  will  need  to  pursue  them  again  later  if  you 


112  THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE 

cannot  make  up  your  mind  to  abandon  your  work. 
Oh!  I  express  no  judgment  upon  it!  I  will  blow  your 
furnaces  if  you  wish;  but  do  not  reduce  our  children 
to  poverty;  you  cannot  love  them  any  more,  for 
science  has  consumed  your  heart,  but  do  not  be- 
queath them  a  life  of  misery  in  exchange  for  the 
happiness  you  owe  them.  The  maternal  sentiment 
has  been  too  often  the  weaker  in  my  heart,  yes,  I 
have  often  wished  that  I  were  not  a  mother,  in  order 
that  I  might  cleave  more  closely  to  your  heart,  to 
your  life!  And  so,  to  stifle  my  remorse,  I  must 
plead  your  children's  cause  to  you  before  my  own." 

Her  hair  was  unloosed  and  fell  over  her  shoulders, 
her  eyes  discharged  innumerable  sentiments  like  so 
many  arrows;  she  triumphed  over  her  rival.  Bal- 
thazar lifted  her,  carried  her  to  the  couch,  and  took 
his  place  on  the  floor  by  her  side. 

"  Have  1  really  caused  you  such  grief?"  he  said, 
in  the  tone  of  a  man  waking  from  a  painful  dream. 

"  Poor  Claes,  you  will  cause  us  still  more  in  spite 
of  yourself,"  she  replied,  passing  her  hand  through 
his  hair.  "  Come  and  sit  by  me,"  she  said,  making 
room  for  him  on  the  couch.  "  See,  I  have  forgotten 
everything,  since  you  are  coming  back  to  us.  We 
will  make  everything  right,  my  love,  but  you  won't 
live  apart  from  your  wife  any  more,  will  you?  Say 
you  will  not.  My  noble,  handsome  Claes,  let  me 
exert  over  your  great  heart  the  feminine  influence 
so  essential  to  the  happiness  of  unfortunate  artists, 
of  distressed  great  men!  You  can  treat  me  roughly, 
you  can  beat  me,  if  you  choose,  but  allow  me  to 


THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE  113 

interfere  with  you  a  little  for  your  own  good.  1  will 
never  abuse  the  power  you  place  in  my  hands.  Be 
famous,  but  be  happy,  too.  Do  not  prefer  chemistry 
to  us!  I  tell  you,  we  will  be  very  good-natured,  we 
will  allow  science  to  share  your  heart  with  us;  but 
be  just  and  give  us  our  full  half!  Tell  me,  is  not  my 
unselfishness  sublime?" 

She  made  Balthazar  smile.  With  the  marvellous 
art  that  women  possess,  she  had  guided  the  most  mo- 
mentous of  questions  into  the  domain  of  pleasantry, 
where  women  are  mistresses.  And  yet,  although 
she  seemed  to  laugh,  her  heart  was  so  violently 
agitated  that  it  could  with  difficulty  resume  its  quiet, 
regular  movement;  but  when  she  saw  dawning  anew 
in  Balthazar's  eyes  the  expression  which  delighted 
her  soul,  which  was  her  glory,  and  which  proved  to 
her  that  her  old  power,  which  she  thought  that  she 
had  lost,  was  in  full  operation,  she  said  to  him,  with 
a  smile: 

"  Believe  me,  Balthazar,  nature  made  us  to  feel, 
and  although  you  insist  that  we  are  only  electrical 
machines,  your  gases  and  your  ethereal  substances 
will  never  explain  the  gift  that  we  possess  of  seeing 
the  future." 

"Yes!"  he  replied,  "  by  affinities.  The  power  of 
vision  which  makes  the  poet  and  the  power  of  de- 
duction which  makes  the  scholar  are  founded  upon 
visible  but  intangible  and  imponderable  affinities, 
which  ordinary  men  classify  as  moral  phenomena, 
but  which  are  really  physical  effects.  The  prophet 
sees  and  deduces.  Unfortunately,  affinities  of  that 
8 


114  THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE 

sort  are  too  rare  and  too  imperceptible  to  be  sub- 
jected to  analysis  or  observation." 

"  And  is  this,"  she  said,  giving  him  a  kiss,  in 
order  to  banish  chemistry,  which  she  had  so  inop- 
portunely stirred  up  anew,   "is  this  an  affinity?" 

"  No,  it  is  a  combination:  two  substances  with 
the  same  sign  produce  no  activity — " 

"  Hush!  hush!  you  will  break  my  heart,"  she 
said.  "  No,  dear,  I  cannot  endure  to  see  my  rival 
even  in  the  transports  of  your  love." 

"But,  my  dear  life,  I  am  thinking  only  of  you, 
my  labors  are  the  glory  of  my  family,  you  are  at  the 
bottom  of  all  my  hopes." 

"Look  at  me!" 

That  scene  had  made  her  as  beautiful  as  a  young 
woman,  and  of  her  whole  person  her  husband  saw 
naught  but  her  face,  above  a  cloud  of  lace  and 
muslin. 

"  Yes,  I  did  very  wrong  to  abandon  you  for 
science.  Now,  when  I  relapse  into  one  of  my  fits 
of  preoccupation,  do  you  rouse  me  from  it,  my 
Pepita;  I  want  you  to  do  it." 

She  lowered  her  eyes  and  let  him  take  her  hand, 
her  greatest  beauty,  a  hand  at  once  strong  and 
delicate. 

"But  I  want  something  more,"  she  said. 

"You  are  so  deliciously  lovely  that  you  can  ob- 
tain anything." 

"  I  want  to  destroy  your  laboratory  and  chain  up 
your  science,"  she  said,  her  eyes  flashing  fire. 

"  Very  well,  to  the  devil  with  chemistry!" 


THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE  1 1  5 

"  This  moment  wipes  out  all  my  sorrow,"  she 
rejoined.    "  Now,  make  me  suffer  if  you  choose." 

At  those  words,  Balthazar  could  not  restrain  his 
tears. 

"Ah!  you  are  right,"  he  said,  "I  saw  you  only 
through  a  veil,  and  I  no  longer  heard  you." 

"  If  only  I  myself  were  concerned,  I  would  have 
continued  to  suffer  in  silence,  without  raising  my 
voice  before  my  king;  but  your  sons  deserve  con- 
sideration, Claes.  I  assure  you  that,  if  you  should 
continue  to  throw  away  your  money  thus,  even 
though  your  aim  might  be  a  glorious  one,  the  world 
would  give  you  no  credit  for  it,  and  its  reprobation 
would  fall  on  your  children.  Should  it  not  be  enough 
for  a  man  of  your  breadth  of  vision  that  your  wife 
has  called  your  attention  to  a  danger  which  you  had 
not  noticed?  But  let  us  say  no  more  about  all  this," 
she  said,  with  a  smile  and  glance  overflowing  with 
coquetry.  "  To-night,  my  Claes,  let  us  not  be  only 
half  happy." 


On  the  day  following  that  momentous  evening 
in  the  life  of  that  household,  Balthazar  Claes, 
from  whom  Josephine  had  evidently  obtained  some 
promise  relative  to  the  cessation  of  his  work,  did 
not  go  up  to  his  laboratory,  but  stayed  with  her  all 
day.  On  the  following  day,  the  family  made  prepa- 
rations for  going  into  the  country,  where  they  re- 
mained about  two  months,  not  returning  to  the  city 
until  it  was  time  to  prepare  for  the  festivities 
whereby  Balthazar  proposed  to  celebrate  the  anni- 
versary of  his  wedding  as  he  used  to  do.  Day  after 
day,  he  was  confronted  with  additional  proofs  of  the 
disorder  his  labors  and  his  heedlessness  had  wrought 
in  his  affairs.  Instead  of  inflaming  the  wound  by 
comments,  his  wife  constantly  invented  ways  of 
palliating  disasters  already  consummated.  Of  the 
seven  servants  Claes  had  had  on  the  day  he  last 
received  his  friends,  there  remained  only  Lemul- 
quinier,  Josette  the  cook,  and  an  old  lady's  maid 
named  Martha,  who  had  been  with  her  mistress 
ever  since  she  left  the  convent.  It  was  impossible 
to  receive  the  aristocratic  society  of  the  town  with 
so  small  a  retinue.  Madame  Claes  obviated  all  diffi- 
culties by  suggesting  that  they  send  for  a  cook  from 
Paris,  muster  the  gardener's  son  into  the  service, 
and  borrow  Pierquin's  servant.  Thus  no  one  would 
notice  their  embarrassed  position. 

(H7) 


Il8  THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE 

During  the  three  weeks  that  the  preparations 
lasted,  Madame  Claes  cleverly  succeeded  in  keeping 
her  husband  busy;  at  one  time,  she  entrusted  him 
with  the  task  of  selecting  rare  flowers  to  decorate  the 
main  stairway,  the  gallery,  and  the  reception-rooms; 
again,  she  sent  him  to  Dunkerque  to  obtain  some  of 
the  monstrous  fish  which  are  the  glory  of  the  good 
housekeeper's  table  in  the  department  of  the  North. 
A  fete  like  that  Claes  was  to  give  was  a  momen- 
tous affair  which  required  attention  to  a  multitude  of 
details,  and  an  active  correspondence,  in  a  country 
where  the  traditions  of  hospitality  are  so  closely 
connected  with  family  honor  that,  so  far  as  masters 
and  servants  are  concerned,  a  dinner  means  a  victory 
to  be  won  over  the  guests.  The  oysters  came  from 
Ostend,  the  blackcock  were  ordered  from  Scotland, 
the  fruit  from  Paris;  in  fact,  the  most  trivial  acces- 
sories must  be  on  a  par  with  the  family's  reputation 
for  magnificence.  Furthermore,  the  ball  at  Claes 
House  had  a  sort  of  celebrity  of  its  own.  As  Douai 
was  at  that  time  the  chief  town  of  the  department, 
that  function  opened  the  winter  season,  in  a  way, 
and  set  the  fashion  for  all  the  others  throughout  the 
province.  So  Balthazar  had  done  his  best  to  dis- 
tinguish himself  in  that  direction  for  fifteen  years, 
and  he  had  succeeded  so  well  that  his  ball  was 
always  talked  about  for  twenty  leagues  around,  and 
everyone  discussed  the  dresses,  the  guests,  the  most 
insignificant  details,  the  novelties  they  had  noticed  or 
the  incidents  that  had  taken  place  there.  Thus  these 
preparations  kept  Claes  from  thinking  of  the  Search 


THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE  119 

for  the  Absolute.  On  returning  to  domestic  thoughts 
and  to  social  life,  the  scientist  recovered  his  self- 
esteem  as  a  man,  as  a  Fleming,  and  as  the  head  of  a 
family,  and  took  pleasure  in  astonishing  the  country. 
He  determined  to  give  the  approaching  festivity  a 
distinctive  character  by  some  novel  idea,  and  he 
selected,  among  all  the  caprices  of  luxury,  the  pret- 
tiest, the  richest,  the  least  enduring,  transforming 
his  house  into  a  grove  of  rare  plants,  and  providing 
bouquets  for  the  ladies.  The  other  details  of  the  fete 
were  on  an  equally  elaborate  scale,  and  it  seemed 
that  nothing  could  mar  their  effect.  But  the  twenty- 
ninth  bulletin,  and  the  detailed  news  of  the  disasters 
of  the  Grande  Armee  in  Russia  and  on  the  Bere- 
sina,  became  known  among  the  guests  shortly  after 
dinner.  A  feeling  of  profound  and  genuine  sadness 
took  possession  of  the  good  people  of  Douai,  who, 
under  the  influence  of  patriotic  sentiment,  unani- 
mously refused  to  dance. 

Among  the  letters  which  reached  Douai  from 
Poland  was  one  for  Balthazar.  Monsieur  de  Wierz- 
chownia,  then  at  Dresden,  where  he  was  dying,  he 
said,  of  a  wound  received  in  one  of  the  last  engage- 
ments, had  determined  to  bequeath  to  his  former 
host  several  ideas  concerning  the  Absolute,  which 
had  occurred  to  him  since  their  meeting.  That  letter 
buried  Claes  in  a  profound  reverie,  which  was  at- 
tributed to  his  patriotism;  but  his  wife  was  not  de- 
ceived. For  her  the  party  was  an  occasion  for 
mourning  on  two  grounds.  Thus  that  ball,  during 
which  Claes    House   emitted    its    last   ray,  had  an 


120  THE  QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE 

ominous  and  gloomy  side  amid  all  its  magnificence, 
amid  the  curiosities  collected  by  six  generations, 
each  of  which  had  had  its  special  mania-curiosities, 
which  the  people  of  Douai  then  admired  for  the  last 
time. 

The  queen  of  the  evening  was  Marguerite,  at  that 
time  sixteen  years  old,  whom  her  parents  took  that 
opportunity  to  introduce  in  society.  She  attracted 
all  eyes  by  her  extreme  simplicity  of  manner,  by 
her  innocent  expression,  and,  above  all,  by  a  face  in 
perfect  harmony  with  the  house.  She  was  the  typi- 
cal Flemish  maiden  as  the  painters  of  the  country 
have  represented  her;  a  perfectly  round,  full  face, 
chestnut  hair  combed  smooth  over  the  forehead,  and 
separated  into  two  bands;  gray  eyes  with  a  greenish 
tinge;  beautiful  arms;  a  fulness  of  figure  that  in  no- 
wise impaired  her  beauty;  a  retiring  manner,  but 
upon  her  high,  smooth  forehead  the  stamp  of  a  firm 
will  concealed  beneath  apparent  tranquillity  and 
gentleness.  Without  being  sad  or  melancholy,  she 
seemed  to  have  little  playfulness  in  her  nature. 
Reflection,  orderliness,  a  keen  sense  of  duty,  the 
three  prominent  features  of  the  Flemish  character, 
gave  animation  to  her  face,  which  seemed  cold  at 
first  sight,  but  to  which  the  glance  was  impelled  to 
return  by  a  certain  charm  in  its  outlines,  and  by  a 
placid  pride  which  gave  pledge  of  domestic  happiness. 
Strangely  enough,  —  and  physiologists  have  never 
been  able  to  explain  the  phenomenon, — she  had  not 
one  of  her  father's  or  her  mother's  features,  but 
was  the  living  image  of  her  maternal  grandmother, 


THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE  121 

a  Conyncks  of  Bruges,  whose  portrait,  carefully 
preserved,  attested  the  resemblance. 

The  supper  restored  some  semblance  of  life  to  the 
party.  Although  the  disasters  that  had  befallen  the 
army  forbade  the  pleasures  of  the  dance,  everyone 
agreed  that  they  should  not  debar  the  pleasures  of 
the  table.  The  patriots  retired  soon  after.  The 
indifferent  ones  remained,  with  a  few  card-players, 
and  some  of  Claes's  particular  friends;  but  gradually 
that  brilliantly  lighted  house,  to  which  all  the  nota- 
bilities of  Douai  had  thronged,  relapsed  into  silence; 
and  about  one  o'clock  in  the  morning  the  gallery  was 
deserted,  and  the  lights  were  extinguished  in  one 
salon  after  another.  At  last,  that  inner  courtyard, 
for  a  moment  so  noisy,  so  flooded  with  light,  became 
dark  and  gloomy  once  more:  a  prophetic  image  of 
the  future  in  store  for  the  family.  When  the  Claes 
returned  to  their  apartments,  Balthazar  gave  his  wife 
the  Pole's  letter  to  read;  she  returned  it  to  him  with 
a  melancholy  gesture,  she  foresaw  the  future. 

In  truth,  after  that  evening,  Balthazar  dissembled 
but  feebly  the  disappointment  and  ennui  by  which 
he  was  overwhelmed.  In  the  morning,  after  the 
family  breakfast,  he  would  play  with  his  son  Jean 
in  the  parlor  for  a  moment  or  two,  and  talk  with  his 
two  daughters,  busy  with  their  sewing,  embroidery, 
or  lacemaking;  but  he  soon  wearied  of  the  games  and 
the  chatting;  indeed,  he  seemed  to  accomplish  them 
as  a  duty.  When  his  wife  came  down  again  after 
dressing,  she  always  found  him  sitting  in  the  easy- 
chair,  gazing  at  Marguerite  and  Felicie,  exhibiting  no 


122  THE   QUEST  OF  THE   ABSOLUTE 

impatience  at  the  noise  of  their  bobbins.  When  the 
newspaper  came,  he  read  it  slowly,  like  a  retired 
tradesman  who  finds  it  hard  work  to  kill  time. 
Then  he  would  leave  his  chair,  look  out  at  the  sky 
through  the  window,  sit  down  again  and  poke  the 
fire  dreamily,  like  a  man  whom  the  tyranny  of  his 
ideas  deprives  of  all  consciousness  of  his  movements. 
Madame  Claes  bitterly  regretted  her  lack  of  edu- 
cation and  memory.  It  was  difficult  for  her  to  sus- 
tain an  interesting  conversation  at  any  length;  indeed 
it  may  be  doubted  whether  that  is  possible  between 
any  two  persons  who  have  said  everything  to  each 
other  and  are  compelled  to  go  outside  of  the  life  of 
the  heart  or  of  material  life  in  search  of  subjects  to 
divert  their  thoughts.  The  life  of  the  heart  has  its 
own  moments,  and  demands  contrasts;  the  details 
of  material  life  cannot  long  engross  superior  minds 
accustomed  to  decide  promptly;  and  the  world  is  in- 
supportable to  loving  hearts.  Two  solitary  mortals, 
who  know  each  other  through  and  through,  ought, 
therefore,  to  seek  their  entertainment  in  the  most 
elevated  realms  of  thought,  for  it  is  impossible  to 
contrast  the  petty  with  the  immense.  Moreover, 
when  a  man  is  accustomed  to  deal  with  great  themes, 
he  becomes  hard  to  amuse  unless  he  retains  in  the 
depths  of  his  heart  that  principle  of  innocence,  that 
freedom  from  constraint  which  makes  men  of  genius 
so  charmingly  childlike;  but  this  childishness  of  the 
heart  is  a  phenomenon  very  rare  in  those  whose 
mission  it  is  to  see  everything,  to  know  everything, 
to  understand  everything. 


THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE  123 

During  the  first  few  months,  Madame  Claes  extri- 
cated herself  from  that  critical  situation  by  super- 
human efforts  suggested  by  her  love  or  by  necessity. 
At  one  time,  she  determined  to  learn  backgammon, 
which  she  had  never  been  able  to  play,  and  per- 
formed the  prodigious,  albeit  readily  conceivable 
feat  of  becoming  an  expert;  at  another  time,  she 
aroused  Balthazar's  interest  in  the  education  of  his 
daughters  by  asking  him  to  guide  them  in  their 
reading.  But  those  resources  were  eventually  ex- 
hausted. There  came  a  time  when  Josephine  was 
in  the  same  quandary  with  reference  to  Balthazar 
that  confronted  Madame  de  Maintenon  with  refer- 
ence to  Louis  XIV.;  but  she  had  not,  to  amuse  her 
surfeited  lord,  the  pomp  of  power  nor  the  wiles  of  a 
court  which  could  play  such  comedies  as  those  of  the 
Siamese  ambassador  or  of  the  Sofi  of  Persia.  The 
monarch,  reduced,  after  having  squandered  the  treas- 
ures of  France,  to  the  expedients  of  a  younger  son  in 
order  to  procure  money,  no  longer  had  in  his  favor 
youth  or  the  prestige  of  success,  and  was  conscious 
of  a  horrible  helplessness  amid  his  grandeur;  the 
royal  governess,  who  had  the  knack  of  soothing 
children,  was  not  always  able  to  soothe  the  father, 
who  suffered  because  he  had  abused  men  and  things, 
life  and  God.  But  Claes  suffered  from  excess  of 
power.  Oppressed  by  a  thought  which  held  him 
fast,  he  dreamed  of  the  pomps  and  vanities  of 
science,  of  treasures  for  mankind,  of  glory  for  him- 
self. He  suffered  as  an  artist  suffers  in  a  hand- 
to-hand  struggle  with  poverty,  as  Samson  suffered 


124  THE  QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE 

when  bound  to  the  pillars  of  the  temple.  The  effect 
was  the  same  in  the  case  of  both  sovereigns,  although 
the  intellectual  monarch  was  crushed  by  his  strength, 
the  other  by  his  weakness. 

What  could  Pepita  do,  single-handed,  against  that 
scientific  homesickness,  so  to  speak?  After  she  had 
exhausted  all  the  resources  afforded  by  domestic  oc- 
cupations, she  summoned  society  to  her  assistance 
by  giving  two  coffee-parties  each  week.  At  Douai, 
the  coffee-party  takes  the  place  of  the  tea-party.  A 
coffee-party  is  an  entertainment  at  which  the  guests 
throughout  an  entire  evening  regale  themselves  with 
sweets,  drink  iced  cafe  noir  or  cafe  au  lait,  and  the 
exquisite  wines  and  liqueurs  with  which  the  cellars 
are  filled  to  overflowing  in  that  blessed  land;  while 
the  women  sing  ballads,  discuss  their  toilets,  or  ex- 
change the  momentous  nothings  of  current  gossip. 
These  functions  are  copies  of  Mieris's  or  Terburg's 
pictures,  minus  the  red  feathers  in  the  conical  gray 
hats,  minus  the  guitars  and  beautiful  costumes  of  the 
sixteenth  century.  But  the  efforts  that  Balthazar 
made  to  act  well  his  part  as  master  of  the  house,  his 
forced  affability,  the  sudden  flashes  of  his  wit,  all 
betrayed  the  gravity  of  his  mental  condition  by  the 
fatigue  he  exhibited  on  the  following  day. 

These  constant  festivities,  ineffectual  remedies, 
demonstrated  the  serious  nature  of  the  disease. 
These  branches,  which  Balthazar  grasped  as  he 
rolled  over  the  precipice,  retarded  his  fall,  but  made 
it  the  heavier.  Although  he  never  mentioned  his 
former   occupations,  although   he   never   uttered   a 


THE  QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE  125 

word  of  regret  because  he  had  placed  himself  in 
such  a  position  that  it  was  impossible  for  him  to 
renew  his  experiments,  he  had  the  feeble  voice,  the 
melancholy  attitude,  the  apparent  prostration  of  a 
convalescent.  His  ennui  sometimes  displayed  itself 
in  the  way  in  which  he  would  take  the  tongs  and 
absent-mindedly  build  some  fanciful  figure  on  the 
hearth  with  bits  of  burned  wood.  When  evening 
came,  his  satisfaction  was  very  perceptible:  sleep  de- 
livered him,  doubtless,  from  some  persistent  thought; 
but  on  the  morrow  he  would  rise  sadly,  feeling  that 
there  was  another  day  to  be  lived  through,  and  he 
seemed  to  measure  the  time  he  had  to  consume  as  a 
weary  traveller  scans  the  desert  that  he  has  to  cross. 
If  Madame  Claes  knew  the  cause  of  that  apathetic 
condition,  she  did  her  utmost  to  shut  her  eyes  to  the 
extent  of  its  ravages.  Brave  as  she  was  against 
mental  suffering,  she  was  helpless  against  the  gen- 
erous impulses  of  the  heart.  She  dared  not  question 
Balthazar  when  he  was  listening  to  the  conversation 
of  his  daughters  and  to  Jean's  merry  laughter  with 
the  air  of  a  man  engrossed  by  other  thoughts;  but 
she  shuddered  when  she  saw  him  shake  off  his  mel- 
ancholy mood,  and,  guided  by  a  generous  impulse, 
try  to  appear  cheerful  in  order  not  to  depress  those 
about  him.  The  father's  attempts  at  coquetry  with 
his  daughters  and  his  games  with  Jean  caused  Jose- 
phine's eyes  to  fill  with  tears,  and  she  would  leave 
the  room  to  conceal  the  emotion  aroused  by  a  hero- 
ism the  price  of  which  is  well  known  to  women  and 
which  breaks  their  hearts.     At  such  times,  Madame 


126  THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE 

Claes  longed  to  say:  "Kill  me,  and  then  do  what 
you  choose!"  Balthazar's  eyes  insensibly  lost  their 
brilliancy  and  fire,  and  assumed  the  sea-green  tint 
which  makes  the  eyes  of  old  men  painful  to  look 
upon.  His  attentions  to  his  wife,  his  speech,  every- 
thing about  him  was  marked  by  heaviness.  These 
symptoms,  which  became  more  alarming  toward  the 
close  of  April,  terrified  Madame  Claes,  to  whom 
the  spectacle  was  intolerable,  and  who  reproached 
herself  again  and  again  as  she  admired  the  Flemish 
loyalty  with  which  her  husband  kept  his  word. 
One  day,  when  Balthazar  seemed  more  prostrated 
than  she  had  ever  seen  him,  she  no  longer  hesitated 
to  sacrifice  everything  to  restore  him  to  life. 

"  My  dear,"  she  said,  "  I  release  you  from  your 
oath." 

Balthazar  stared  at  her  with  a  bewildered  air. 

"  Are  you  thinking  about  your  experiments?"  she 
continued. 

He  replied  with  a  gesture  of  terrifying  ardor.  Ma- 
dame Claes,  far  from  remonstrating  with  him  in  any 
way,  although  she  had  carefully  measured  the  depth 
of  the  abyss  into  which  they  were  both  about  to  fall, 
took  his  hand  and  pressed  it,  with  a  smiling  face. 

"  I  thank  you,  my  dear,  1  am  sure  of  my  power," 
she  said.  "  You  have  sacrificed  more  than  your  life 
to  me.  Now  it  is  my  turn  to  make  sacrifices!  Al- 
though I  have  sold  some  of  my  diamonds,  there  are 
still  enough  left,  with  the  addition  of  those  left  me 
by  my  brother,  to  procure  the  money  necessary  for 
your    labors.     I    intended   the   jewels   for  our   two 


THE  QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE  127 

daughters;  but  your  glory  will  be  a  more  brilliant 
ornament  for  them!  moreover,  some  day  you  will 
give  them  more  beautiful  diamonds!" 

The  joy  which  suddenly  shone  m  her  husband's 
face  put  the  finishing  touch  to  Josephine's  despair; 
she  saw  with  intense  pain  that  his  passion  was 
stronger  than  he.  Claes  had  confidence  enough  in 
his  work  to  walk  without  trembling  along  a  path 
which  in  his  wife's  eyes  was  a  yawning  abyss.  To 
him,  faith;  to  her,  doubt;  and  hers  was  the  heavier 
burden:  does  not  the  woman  always  suffer  for  the 
two?  At  that  moment,  she  forced  herself  to  believe 
in  his  success,  trying  to  justify  to  herself  her  com- 
plicity in  the  probable  squandering  of  their  fortune. 

"  The  love  of  my  whole  life  would  not  suffice  to 
express  my  gratitude  for  your  devotion,  Pepita," 
said  Claes,  deeply  moved. 

He  had  hardly  uttered  the  words,  when  Marguerite 
and  Felicie  entered  the  room  and  bade  them  good- 
morning.  Madame  Claes  looked  down,  and  was 
speechless  for  a  moment  before  her  two  daughters, 
whose  fortune  had  been  alienated  for  the  benefit  of 
a  chimera;  whereas  her  husband  took  them  on  his 
knees  and  talked  joyously  with  them,  overjoyed  to 
be  able  to  find  a  vent  for  the  joy  which  oppressed 
him. 

Thenceforth  Madame  Claes  entered  into  her  hus- 
band's ardent  life.  Her  children's  future,  her 
husband's  reputation,  were  to  her  two  springs  of 
action  as  powerful  as  science  and  renown  were  to 
Claes.     So  the  unhappy  woman   no  longer  had  an 


128  THE  QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE 

hour's  tranquillity  after  the  family  diamonds  were 
all  sold  in  Paris  through  the  medium  of  her  con- 
fessor, the  Abbe  de  Solis,  and  the  manufacturers  of 
chemicals  had  renewed  their  shipments.  Constantly 
excited  by  the  demon  of  science  and  by  the  mania 
for  experiments  which  consumed  her  husband,  she 
lived  in  continual  suspense,  and  was  as  if  dead  for 
whole  days,  held  fast  in  her  easy-chair  by  the  very 
violence  of  her  longings,  which,  as  they  did  not,  like 
Balthazar's,  find  food  in  laboratory  work,  tormented 
her  mind  by  acting  constantly  upon  her  doubts  and 
fears.  At  times,  reproaching  herself  for  her  indul- 
gence for  a  passion  whose  end  was  impossible  of 
attainment  and  which  Monsieur  de  Solis  condemned, 
she  would  leave  her  chair,  go  to  the  window  on  the 
inner  courtyard,  and  look  up  with  terror  at  the  lab- 
oratory chimney.  If  smoke  were  pouring  from  it, 
she  would  gaze  at  it  in  despair,  her  heart  and  mind 
stirred  to  their  depths  by  the  most  contrary  ideas. 
She  saw  her  children's  fortune  flying  away  in  smoke, 
but  she  was  saving  their  father's  life:  was  it  not  her 
first  duty  to  make  him  happy?  That  last  thought 
would  calm  her  for  a  moment. 

She  had  obtained  permission  to  enter  the  labora- 
tory and  to  remain  there  ;  but  she  was  soon  com- 
pelled to  forego  that  melancholy  satisfaction.  Her 
suffering  there  was  too  intense  when  she  saw  that 
Balthazar  paid  no  attention  to  her  and  often  seemed 
annoyed  by  her  presence;  she  was  tortured  by  im- 
patient jealousy,  by  a  cruel  impulse  to  blow  the 
house  to  pieces;  she  felt  there  as  if  she  were  dying 


THE   QUEST  OF  THE   ABSOLUTE  1 29 

of  a  thousand  horrible  diseases.  Thereafter  Lemul- 
quinier  served  her  as  a  sort  of  barometer;  if  she 
heard  him  whistling  as  he  went  back  and  forth  serv- 
ing breakfast  or  dinner,  she  guessed  that  her  hus- 
band's experiments  had  turned  out  well,  and  that 
he  hoped  for  speedy  success;  if  Lemulquinier  were 
downcast  and  gloomy,  she  gazed  at  him  despair- 
ingly: Balthazar  was  dissatisfied.  The  mistress  and 
the  valet  had  ended  by  understanding  each  other,  de- 
spite the  pride  of  the  one  and  the  cunning  humility  of 
the  other.  Weak  and  defenceless  against  the  terri- 
ble, prostrating  blows  of  thought,  she  succumbed  be- 
neath those  alternatives  of  hope  and  despair  which, 
in  her  case,  were  made  heavier  by  the  solicitude 
of  the  loving  wife,  and  the  anxiety  of  the  mother 
trembling  for  her  family.  The  depressing  silence 
which  formerly  froze  her  heart,  she  helped  now  to 
produce,  heedless  of  the  air  of  gloom  that  prevailed 
in  the  house,  and  of  the  long  days  she  passed  in 
that  parlor,  without  a  smile,  often  without  a  word. 
Guided  by  a  pathetic  maternal  presentiment,  she  ac- 
customed her  daughters  to  housework,  and  tried  to 
make  them  skilful  enough  in  some  woman's  craft 
to  enable  them  to  live  by  it  if  they  should  be  re- 
duced to  poverty. 

Thus  the  apparent  tranquillity  of  that  household 
concealed  terrible  agitation.  Toward  the  end  of  the 
summer,  Balthazar  had  spent  the  proceeds  of  the  dia- 
monds sold  at  Paris  through  the  medium  of  the  Abbe 
de  Solis,  and  owed  Protez  and  Chiffreville  something 
like  twenty  thousand  francs. 
9 


* 


In  August,  1813,  about  a  year  after  the  scene  with 
which  this  narrative  opens,  although  Claes  had  made 
some  fine  experiments,  upon  which,  unfortunately, 
he  looked  with  contempt,  his  efforts  had  been  barren 
of  results  so  far  as  the  principal  object  of  his  investi- 
gations was  concerned.  On  the  day  on  which  he 
completed  his  series  of  experiments,  the  conscious- 
ness of  his  powerlessness  crushed  him;  the  knowl- 
edge that  he  had  wasted  large  sums  to  no  purpose 
drove  him  to  despair.  It  was  a  dire  catastrophe.  He 
left  his  garret,  went  slowly  downstairs  to  the  parlor, 
threw  himself  into  an  armchair,  amid  his  children, 
and  sat  there  for  some  moments,  as  if  dead,  without 
answering  the  questions  with  which  his  wife  over- 
whelmed him;  his  eyes  filled  with  tears,  and  he  went 
hurriedly  to  his  own  apartments  in  order  that  there 
might  be  no  witnesses  to  his  grief ;  Josephine  fol- 
lowed him  and  led  him  into  her  bedroom,  and  there, 
alone  with  her,  Balthazar  gave  vent  to  his  despair. 
Those  tears  from  a  man's  eyes,  those  lamentations 
of  a  discouraged  artist,  the  regrets  of  the  husband 
and  father,  had  an  accent  of  terror,  of  affection,  of 
madness,  which  caused  Madame  Claes  more  pain 
than  all  her  past  sorrows  had  done.  The  victim  con- 
soled the  executioner.  When  Balthazar  said  in  a 
heart-rending  tone  of  conviction:  "lama  miserable 

(13O 


132  THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE 

wretch,  I  am  jeopardizing  my  children's  lives  and 
yours,  and,  to  make  you  happy  once  more,  there  is 
nothing  for  me  to  do  but  to  kill  myself !"  those  words 
pierced  her  to  the  heart,  and  as  her  knowledge  of 
her  husband's  character  made  her  fear  that  he  would 
at  once  carry  out  that  suggestion  of  his  despair,  she 
experienced  one  of  those  inward  revolutions  which 
derange  life  at  its  source,  and  which  was  the  more 
disastrous  to  Pepita  because  she  dissembled  its  vio- 
lent effects  by  assuming  a  deceitful  calmness. 

"My  dear,"  she  replied,  "I  have  consulted,  not 
Pierquin,  whose  friendship  is  not  so  great  that  he 
does  not  feel  a  secret  pleasure  in  the  knowledge  that 
we  are  ruined,  but  an  old  man  who  is  as  kind  as  a 
father  to  me.  Abbe  de  Solis,  my  confessor,  has 
given  me  some  advice  which  will  save  us  from  ruin. 
He  has  been  here  to  look  at  the  pictures.  The  price 
of  those  in  the  gallery  will  probably  be  sufficient  to 
pay  off  all  the  mortgages  on  your  property,  and 
what  you  owe  Protez  and  Chiffreville,  for,  of  course, 
you  have  an  account  to  settle  with  them?" 

Claes  assented  by  hanging  his  head,  on  which  the 
hair  had  become  quite  white. 

"Monsieur  de  Solis  knows  the  Happes  and  the 
Dunckers,  of  Amsterdam;  they  are  wild  over  pic- 
tures, and,  like  all  parvenus,  are  most  anxious  to 
display  a  magnificence  which  is  permitted  only  to  old 
families ;  they  will  pay  for  our  pictures  all  that 
they  are  worth.  Thus  we  shall  recover  our  income, 
and  you  can  take  a  portion  of  the  price,  which  will 
be  something  like  a  hundred   thousand  ducats,  to 


THE  QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE  I  33 

continue  your  experiments.  Your  two  daughters 
and  myself  will  be  content  with  very  little.  With 
time  and  economy  we  will  fill  the  empty  frames 
with  other  pictures,  and  you  will  be  happy!" 

Balthazar  raised  his  eyes  to  his  wife's  with  joy 
mingled  with  dread.  Their  roles  were  changed. 
The  wife  became  the  husband's  protector.  That 
man,  who  was  naturally  so  affectionate  and  whose 
heart  was  so  closely  knit  to  Josephine's,  held  her  in 
his  arms,  blind  to  the  horrible  convulsion  that  made 
her  quiver  from  head  to  foot,  and  affected  her  hair 
and  lips  with  a  nervous  trembling. 

"I  did  not  dare  to  tell  you  that  there  is  barely 
a  hair's-breadth  between  myself  and  the  Absolute. 
In  order  to  gasify  metals,  I  have  only  to  find  a 
method  of  subjecting  them  to  an  immense  heat 
where  the  presence  of  the  atmosphere  is  nil,  that 
is  to  say,  in  an  absolute  vacuum." 

Madame  Claes  could  not  endure  the  egotism  of 
that  reply.  She  expected  passionate  thanks  for 
her  sacrifices,  and  received  a  problem  in  chemistry! 
She  left  her  husband  abruptly,  went  down  to  the 
parlor,  threw  herself  upon  a  chair  between  her  two 
frightened  daughters,  and  burst  into  tears;  Margue- 
rite and  Felicie  each  took  a  hand  and  knelt,  one  on 
each  side  of  the  chair,  weeping  with  her,  although 
they  did  not  know  the  cause  of  her  chagrin,  and 
asked  her  again  and  again: 

"  What  is  the  matter,  mother  dear?" 

"  Poor  children!  I  am  dead,  I  feel  it." 

That   reply    made    Marguerite   shudder,    for   she 


134  THE  QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE 

noticed  for  the  first  time  on  her  mother's  face  signs 
of  the  pallor  peculiar  to  persons  of  dark  complexion'. 

"  Martha!  Martha!"  cried  Felicie,  "come,  mamma 
wants  you." 

The  old  duenna  ran  from  the  kitchen,  and,  seeing 
the  greenish  pallor  upon  that  olive  face,  usually  so 
richly  colored: 

"Body  of  Christ!"  she  cried  in  Spanish,  "madame 
is  dying." 

She  rushed  from  the  room,  told  Josette  to  heat 
some  water  for  a  foot-bath,  and  returned  to  her 
mistress. 

"Don't  alarm  monsieur,  say  nothing  to  him, 
Martha,"  cried  Madame  Claes. — "  Poor,  dear  girls," 
she  added,  pressing  Marguerite  and  Felicie  to  her 
heart  with  a  despairing  gesture,  "I  would  that  I 
might  live  long  enough  to  see  you  married  and 
happy.  —  Martha,"  she  continued,  "tell  Lemul- 
quinier  to  go  to  Monsieur  de  Solis  and  ask  him  from 
me  to  come  here." 

That  terrible  shock  necessarily  found  an  echo  in 
the  kitchen.  Josette  and  Martha,  both  of  whom  were 
devoted  to  Madame  Claes  and  her  daughters,  were 
wounded  in  the  only  affection  they  knew.  Those 
terrible  words:  "Madame  is  dying,  monsieur  must 
have  killed  her!  make  a  mustard  foot-bath  quick!" 
had  caused  Josette  to  express  several  ejaculatory 
phrases  with  which  she  overwhelmed  Lemulquinier. 
Lemulquinier,  unmoved  and  insensible,  was  eating  at 
a  corner  of  the  table  in  front  of  one  of  the  windows 
through  which  the   light  came  from  the  courtyard 


THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE  I  35 

into  the  kitchen,  where  everything  was  as  neat  as 
in  a  dainty  woman's  boudoir. 

"  It  was  sure  to  end  so,"  said  Josette,  glancing  at 
the  valet  de  chambre  as  she  stepped  on  a  stool  to 
take  from  a  shelf  a  kettle  that  shone  like  gold. 
"  There's  no  mother  who  can  look  on  coolly  while 
a  father  amuses  himself  throwing  away  such  a  for- 
tune as  monsieur's  to  make  dish-water." 

Josette,  whose  head,  surmounted  by  a  round  cap 
with  ruffles,  resembled  that  of  a  German  nut-cracker, 
cast  at  Lemulquinier  a  sour  glance  which  the  greenish 
hue  of  her  little  bloodshot  eyes  made  almost  venom- 
ous. The  old  valet  shrugged  his  shoulders  with  a 
gesture  worthy  of  Mirabeau  when  annoyed,  then 
stuffed  into  his  huge  mouth  a  slice  of  bread-and- 
butter  spread  with  an  appetiser. 

"  Instead  of  worrying  monsieur,  madame  ought  to 
give  him  some  money;  we  shall  all  of  us  be  rich 
enough  before  long  to  swim  in  gold!  We're  no  far- 
ther away  than  the  thickness  of  a  sou  from  finding 
what  we're  looking  after." 

"Very  well,  you  have  twenty  thousand  francs 
put  away,  why  don't  you  offer  them  to  monsieur? 
He's  your  master!  And  as  long  as  you're  so  sure 
of  his  acts  and  manoeuvring — " 

"  You  don't  know  what  you're  talking  about, 
Josette;  just  heat  your  water,"  retorted  the  Flem- 
ing, interrupting  the  cook. 

"  I  know  enough  about  it  to  know  that  there  were 
thousands  of  ounces  of  silver  plate  here,  that  you  and 
your  master  have  melted  it  all,  and  that,  if  you  go 


136  THE   QUEST  OF  THE   ABSOLUTE 

on  as  you're  going,  you'll  use  everything  up  so  com- 
pletely that  there'll  soon  be  nothing  left." 

"And  monsieur,"  said  Martha,  returning,  "will 
kill  madame  to  get  rid  of  a  wife  who  holds  him  back 
and  prevents  his  swallowing  up  everything.  He's 
possessed  of  the  devil,  that's  plain  enough! — The 
least  thing  that  you  risk  in  helping  him,  Lemul- 
quinier,  is  your  soul,  if  you  have  one,  for  you're 
like  a  lump  of  ice  while  everybody  in  the  house  is 
in  despair.  The  young  ladies  are  weeping  like 
Magdalens.  Go  and  fetch  Monsieur  l'Abbe  de 
Solis!" 

"  I  have  something  to  do  for  monsieur,  to  put 
the  laboratory  in  order,"  said  the  valet.  "It's  too 
far  from  here  to  the  Esquerchin  quarter.  Go  your- 
self." 

"Look  at  that  monster!"  said  Martha.  "Who 
will  give  madame  her  foot-bath?  Do  you  pro- 
pose to  leave  her  to  die?  the  blood  has  gone  to  her 
head." 

"  Mulquinier,"  said  Marguerite,  coming  into  the 
room  adjoining  the  kitchen,  "  on  your  way  back 
from  Monsieur  de  Solis,  stop  and  ask  Monsieur  Pier- 
quin,  the  doctor,  to  come  at  once." 

"  Hein!  you'll  go,  I  fancy,"  said  Josette. 

"Mademoiselle,  monsieur  told  me  to  arrange  his 
laboratory,"  rejoined  Lemulquinier,  turning  to  the 
women  and  glaring  at  them  with  a  despotic  expres- 
sion. 

"Father,"  said  Marguerite  to  Monsieur  Claes, 
who  came  downstairs  at  that  moment,  "can't  you 


THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE  1 37 

let  us  have  Mulquinier  to  do  an  errand  in  the 
town?" 

"  Now  you  will  go,  you  vile  Chinaman!"  said 
Martha,  when  she  heard  Monsieur  Claes  place 
Lemulquinier  at  his  daughter's  orders. 

The  valet's  lack  of  devotion  to  the  interests  of 
the  family  was  a  prolific  subject  of  dispute  between 
the  two  women  and  Lemulquinier,  whose  lukewarm- 
ness  had  resulted  in  increasing  the  mutual  attach- 
ment of  Josette  and  the  duenna.  That  conflict, 
unimportant  as  it  apparently  was,  had  a  consider- 
able influence  on  the  future  of  that  family  when, 
later,  they  were  in  need  of  assistance  against  mis- 
fortune. 

Balthazar  had  become  once  more  so  distraught 
that  he  did  not  observe  Josephine's  ailing  condition. 
He  took  Jean  and  tossed  him  up  and  down  mechani- 
cally, thinking  of  the  problem  that  it  now  seemed 
possible  for  him  to  solve.  He  saw  the  foot-bath 
brought  to  his  wife,  who,  lacking  strength  to  rise 
from  the  easy-chair  in  which  she  was  reclining,  had 
remained  in  the  parlor.  He  even  watched  his  two 
daughters  waiting  upon  their  mother,  without  seek- 
ing an  explanation  of  their  zealous  attentions. 
When  Marguerite  or  Jean  essayed  to  speak,  Madame 
Claes  enjoined  silence  upon  them  by  pointing  to 
Balthazar.  Such  a  scene  was  likely  to  afford  much 
food  for  thought  to  Marguerite,  who,  being  placed 
between  her  father  and  mother,  so  to  speak,  was  old 
enough  and  intelligent  enough  to  appreciate  their 
conduct.     There  comes  a  time  in  the  domestic  life 


138  THE  QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE 

of  families,  when  the  children  become,  whether 
voluntarily  or  involuntarily,  the  judges  of  their 
parents.  Madame  Claes  had  realized  the  danger  of 
that  condition  of  affairs.  Through  love  for  Bal- 
thazar, she  did  her  utmost  to  justify  in  Marguerite's 
eyes  what  might  appear,  to  the  just  mind  of  a  girl 
of  sixteen,  a  father's  faults. 

Thus  the  profound  respect  for  Balthazar  which 
Madame  Claes  exhibited  at  that  time,  effacing  her- 
self before  him  in  order  not  to  disturb  his  medita- 
tions, inspired  her  children  with  a  sort  of  awe  of 
the  paternal  majesty.  But  that  devotion,  con- 
tagious as  it  was,  magnified  Marguerite's  affection 
for  her  mother,  to  whom  she  was  closely  united  by 
all  the  incidents  of  their  daily  life.  That  sentiment 
was  based  upon  a  sort  of  divination  of  sufferings, 
the  cause  of  which  a  young  girl  would  naturally 
seek  to  learn.  No  human  power  could  prevent  a 
word  from  falling,  now  and  then,  from  Martha  or 
Josette,  which  revealed  to  Marguerite  the  origin  of 
the  condition  of  affairs  in  the  household  for  the  past 
four  years.  Notwithstanding  Madame  Claes's  reti- 
cence, therefore,  her  daughter  discovered  little  by 
little,  thread  by  thread,  the  mysterious  woof  of  that 
domestic  drama.  Marguerite  was  destined  to  be  ere 
long  her  mother's  jealous  confidante,  and,  when  the 
crisis  should  come,  the  most  redoubtable  of  judges. 
So  that  Madame  Claes  turned  all  her  attention  upon 
Marguerite,  to  whom  she  strove  to  communicate  her 
sentiment  of  devotion  to  Balthazar.  The  firmness 
of  will,  the   good   sense   which   she  found   in   her 


THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE  I  39 

daughter,  made  her  shudder  at  the  idea  of  a  possible 
conflict  between  Marguerite  and  Balthazar,  when, 
after  her  death,  the  former  should  take  her  place  in 
the  management  of  the  household. 

So  it  was  that  the  poor  woman  had  reached  a 
point  where  she  was  more  dismayed  by  the  proba- 
ble results  of  her  death  than  by  the  thought  of 
death  itself.  Her  solicitude  for  Balthazar  made 
itself  manifest  in  the  resolution  she  had  formed. 
By  freeing  her  husband's  property  from  incum- 
brances, she  assured  his  independence,  and  antici- 
pated any  possible  discussion  as  to  separating  her 
interests  from  her  children's  ;  she  hoped  to  see  him 
happy  so  long  as  she  lived ;  then  she  expected  to 
transfer  the  delicate  sentiments  of  her  heart  to  Mar- 
guerite, who  would  continue  to  play  the  part  of  an 
angel  of  love  by  his  side,  exercising  a  tutelary  and 
protecting  influence  over  the  family.  Thus  her  love 
would  still  shine  from  the  grave  on  those  who  were 
dear  to  her.  She  did  not  choose,  however,  to  lower 
the  father  in  the  daughter's  eyes  by  admitting  her 
prematurely  to  a  share  in  the  fears  which  Baltha- 
zar's scientific  mania  aroused  in  her  own  mind ;  she 
studied  Marguerite's  heart  and  disposition  to  ascer- 
tain whether  she  would  become  through  her  own 
nature  a  mother  to  her  brothers  and  sister,  a  gentle 
and  loving  wife  to  her  father.  Thus  Madame  Claes's 
last  days  were  poisoned  by  scheming  and  by  fears 
which  she  dared  not  confide  to  anyone.  Feeling 
that  that  last  scene  had  dealt  a  blow  at  the  very 
foundations  of  her  life,  she  cast  her  eyes  into  the 


140  THE  QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE 

future;  while  Balthazar,  heedless  thenceforth  of  for- 
tune, economy,  domestic  sentiments,  thought  about 
finding  the  Absolute. 

The  profound  silence  that  reigned  in  the  parlor 
was  broken  only  by  the  monotonous  tapping  of 
Claes's  foot,  which  he  continued  to  move  up  and 
down,  not  noticing  that  Jean  had  left  him.  Sitting 
beside  her  mother,  and  closely  watching  her  pale, 
distorted  face,  Marguerite  turned,  from  time  to  time, 
to  her  father,  amazed  at  his  insensibility.  Soon  they 
heard  the  street-door  open  and  shut,  and  Abbe  de 
Solis  appeared,  leaning  on  his  nephew's  arm  and 
walking  slowly  across  the  courtyard. 

"Ah!  there's  Monsieur  Emmanuel,"  said  Felicie. 

"  He  is  a  most  excellent  young  man!"  remarked 
Madame  Claes,  when  she  saw  Emmanuel  de  Solis, 
"  I  am  very  glad  to  see  him  again." 

Marguerite  blushed  when  she  heard  her  mother's 
eulogistic  words.  Two  days  before,  the  sight  of  that 
young  man  had  awakened  unfamiliar  sentiments  in 
her  heart,  and  aroused  in  her  mind  thoughts  hitherto 
dormant.  During  the  confessor's  visit  to  his  peni- 
tent, some  of  those  imperceptible  events  had  oc- 
curred which  have  an  important  bearing  on  the 
future,  and  their  results  were  sufficiently  momen- 
tous to  require  a  few  words  at  this  point  as  to  the 
new  personages  introduced  into  that  family  circle. 

It  was  Madame  Claes's  principle  to  perform  her 
devotions  in  secret.  Her  confessor  was  almost  a 
stranger  in  the  house,  having  been  there  but  once  be- 
fore; but,  there  as  elsewhere,  everyone  was  conscious 


THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE  141 

of  a  thrill  of  emotion  and  admiration  at  sight  of  the 
uncle  and  his  nephew.  Abbe  de  Solis,  an  old  man 
of  eighty,  with  silvery  hair,  had  an  aged  face,  in 
which  all  the  life  seemed  to  have  taken  refuge  in  the 
eyes.  He  walked  with  difficulty,  for  one  of  his  slen- 
der legs  ended  in  a  horribly  deformed  foot,  which 
he  wore  in  a  sort  of  bag  of  velvet,  and  which  com- 
pelled him  to  use  a  crutch  when  he  had  not  his 
nephew's  arm.  His  bent  back,  his  withered  body, 
presented  the  spectacle  of  a  frail  and  diseased  frame 
dominated  by  an  iron  will  and  by  a  pure,  devout 
spirit  which  had  preserved  it.  That  Spanish  priest, 
remarkable  by  reason  of  his  vast  learning,  his  genu- 
ine piety,  his  very  extensive  knowledge  of  men  and 
things,  had  been  successively  a  Dominican  friar, 
Grand  Penitentiary  of  Toledo,  and  Vicar-General  of 
the  Archbishopric  of  Malines.  Had  not  the  French 
Revolution  occurred,  the  influence  of  the  Casa-Reals 
would  have  raised  him  to  the  highest  dignities  in  the 
Church,  but  his  grief  at  the  death  of  the  young  duke, 
his  pupil,  disgusted  him  with  active  life,  and  he  de- 
voted himself  entirely  to  the  education  of  his  nephew, 
who  was  left  an  orphan  at  a  very  early  age. 

At  the  time  of  the  conquest  of  Belgium,  he  had 
taken  up  his  abode  near  Madame  Claes.  From  his 
youth,  Abbe  de  Solis  had  professed  an  enthusiastic 
veneration  for  Sainte-Therese,  which  led  him,  as 
did  the  natural  bent  of  his  mind,  toward  the  mystic 
portions  of  the  Christian  faith.  Finding  in  Flanders, 
where  Mademoiselle  Bourignon,  as  well  as  the  writers 
of  the  Illuminati  and  Quietists,  made  most  converts,  a 


142  THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE 

party  of  Catholics  who  shared  his  beliefs,  he  re- 
mained there,  the  more  readily  because  he  was 
looked  upon  as  a  patriarch  by  that  peculiar  sect, 
who  continue  to  follow  the  doctrines  of  the  mystics 
despite  the  censure  visited  upon  Fenelon  and  Ma- 
dame Guyon.  His  morals  were  rigid,  his  life  was 
exemplary,  and  he  was  supposed  to  have  trances. 
Although  so  strict  a  churchman  would  naturally  hold 
entirely  aloof  from  worldly  affairs,  his  affection  for 
his  nephew  made  him  careful  of  his  interests.  When 
any  charitable  work  was  under  consideration,  the  old 
man  levied  a  contribution  on  his  faithful  disciples 
before  having  recourse  to  his  own  fortune,  and  his 
patriarchal  authority  was  so  fully  recognized,  his  pur- 
poses were  so  pure,  his  perspicacity  so  rarely  at  fault, 
that  everyone  complied  with  his  demands.  To  con- 
vey an  idea  of  the  contrast  between  the  uncle  and 
the  nephew,  we  may  compare  the  old  man  to  one 
of  the  hollow  willows  vegetating  on  the  bank  of  a 
stream,  and  the  young  man  to  the  eglantine,  laden 
with  flowers,  whose  straight,  graceful  stalk  springs 
from  the  bosom  of  the  moss-covered  trunk,  which  it 
seems  to  try  to  straighten. 

Strictly  brought  up  by  his  uncle,  who  kept  him 
under  his  wing  as  a  mother  keeps  a  maiden,  Em- 
manuel was  full  to  overflowing  of  that  keen  sensi- 
tiveness, that  half-dreamy  innocence,  which  are 
ephemeral  flowers  of  youth  in  every  mortal,  but 
fresh  in  minds  nurtured  upon  religious  principles. 
The  old  priest  had  restrained  the  expression  of 
worldly  sentiments  in  his  pupil,  preparing  him  for 


THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE  143 

the  sufferings  of  life  by  constant  toil,  by  discipline 
almost  monastic  in  its  severity.  That  education, 
which  was  destined  to  turn  Emmanuel  over  to  the 
world  entirely  unsophisticated,  and  to  make  him 
happy  if  he  should  be  fortunate  in  his  first  attach- 
ments, had  invested  him  with  an  angelic  purity 
which  gave  to  his  personality  the  charm  peculiar  to 
young  girls.  His  eyes,  timid  in  appearance,  but  in- 
stinct with  a  strong  and  courageous  soul,  cast  a  light 
which  vibrated  in  the  heart  as  the  sound  of  a  bell 
sends  its  undulations  through  the  delicate  mechanism 
of  the  ear.  His  expressive,  though  regular,  features 
were  remarkable  for  extraordinary  precision  of  con- 
tour, for  the  harmonious  blending  of  the  lines,  and 
for  the  profound  tranquillity  due  to  perfect  peace  of 
mind.  There  was  nothing  inharmonious.  His  black 
hair,  his  brown  eyes  and  eyebrows,  heightened  the 
effect  of  a  fair  complexion  and  brilliant  coloring. 
His  voice  was  what  one  would  expect  with  such  a 
handsome  face.  His  feminine  movements  harmon- 
ized with  his  melodious  voice,  with  the  soft  radiance 
of  his  glance.  He  seemed  entirely  unconscious  of 
the  attraction  exerted  by  the  semi-melancholy  re- 
serve of  his  manner,  his  modest  speech,  and  the 
respectful  attentions  he  lavished  on  his  uncle.  See- 
ing him  carefully  observing  the  old  abbe's  tortuous 
gait  in  order  to  adapt  himself  to  his  painful  devia- 
tions from  a  straight  line,  and  not  interfere  with 
them,  looking  ahead  for  anything  that  might  hurt 
his  feet,  and  selecting  the  best  path  for  him,  it  was 
impossible  not  to  recognize  in  Emmanuel  the  generous 


144  THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE 

sentiments  which  make  of  man  a  sublime  creature. 
He  seemed  so  great,  loving  his  uncle  without  pre- 
suming to  judge  him,  obeying  him  without  ever  dis- 
cussing his  orders,  that  everyone  seemed  to  discover 
a  case  of  predestination  in  the  sweet  name  his  god- 
mother had  given  him.  Whenever,  in  his  own  house 
or  elsewhere,  the  old  man  exhibited  the  despotic  Do- 
minican spirit,  Emmanuel  would  raise  his  head  with 
such  a  noble  gesture,  as  if  to  show  what  strength  he 
could  put  forth  if  he  were  at  odds  with  any  other 
man,  that  men  of  heart  were  deeply  moved  as  artists 
are  at  sight  of  a  great  work,  for  noble  sentiments  ring 
no  less  loudly  in  the  heart  in  obedience  to  living  con- 
ceptions than  in  obedience  to  the  idealizations  of  art ! 
Emmanuel  had  accompanied  his  uncle  when  he 
visited  his  penitent  to  examine  the  pictures  at  Claes 
House.  Learning  from  Martha  that  Abbe  de  Solis  was 
in  the  gallery,  Marguerite,  who  was  very  anxious  to 
see  that  famous  man,  had  sought  some  false  excuse 
for  joining  her  mother  in  order  to  gratify  her  curi- 
osity. Entering  the  gallery  hastily,  affecting  the 
giddiness  beneath  which  young  girls  so  effectually 
conceal  their  real  wishes,  she  had  found,  beside  the 
bent,  deformed,  cadaverous  old  man,  dressed  in 
black,  the  fresh,  refined  face  of  Emmanuel.  The 
glances  of  those  two,  equally  youthful,  equally  in- 
genuous, had  expressed  the  same  astonishment. 
Doubtless,  Emmanuel  and  Marguerite  had  already 
met  in  their  dreams.  Both  lowered  their  eyes  and 
raised  them  again  simultaneously,  giving  expres- 
sion to  the  same  confession.     Marguerite  took  her 


THE   GALLERY  AT  CLAES  HOUSE 


Emmanuel  had  accompanied  his  uncle  when  he 
visited  his  penitent  to  examine  the  pictures  at  Claes 
House.  Learning  from  Martha  that  Abbe  de  Soils 
was  in  the  gallery,  Marguerite,  who  7cas  -eery  anx- 
ious to  see  that  famous  man,  had  sought  some  false 
excuse  for  joining  her  mother  in  order  to  gratify 
her  curiosity. 


.  ,„/       ,     ..   I   , 


THE  QUEST  OF  THE   ABSOLUTE  145 

mother's  arm  and  talked  to  her  in  an  undertone  to 
keep  herself  in  countenance, — sheltered  herself,  so 
to  speak,  beneath  the  maternal  wing,  stretching  her 
neck  with  a  swanlike  movement  for  another  glance 
at  Emmanuel,  who  had  not  released  his  uncle's  arm. 
Although  skilfully  arranged  so  as  to  give  each  canvas 
its  full  value,  the  dim  light  in  the  gallery  favored 
those  stealthy  glances  which  are  the  delight  of  timid 
persons.  Doubtless,  neither  of  them  went  so  far, 
even  in  thought,  as  the  if  with  which  passions  begin; 
but  they  both  felt  that  profound  emotion  which  stirs 
the  heart  to  its  depths,  and  of  which,  in  youth,  one 
keeps  the  secret  to  one's  self,  from  delicacy  or  from 
modesty. 

The  first  impression,  which  causes  the  overflow 
of  feelings  long  restrained,  is  followed  in  all  young 
people  by  the  half-stupefied  amazement  which  chil- 
dren feel  when  they  first  hear  music.  Some  laugh 
and  think;  others  do  not  laugh  until  after  they  have 
thought;  but  those  whose  hearts  are  summoned  to 
live  on  poesy  or  love  listen  a  long  while,  and  call 
for  a  repetition  of  the  melody  by  a  glance  wherein 
pleasure  is  already  kindled,  or  curiosity  concerning 
the  infinite  begins  to  appear,  If  we  feel  an  irresist- 
ible love  for  the  places  where,  in  our  childhood,  we 
were  made  acquainted  with  the  beauties  of  harmony, 
if  we  remember  with  delight  both  the  musician  and 
the  instrument,  how  can  we  avoid  loving  the  being 
who  first  reveals  to  us  the  music  of  life?  Is  not 
the  first  heart  wherein  we  have  breathed  love,  like 
a  fatherland  ?  Emmanuel  and  Marguerite  were  to 
10 


146  THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE 

each  other  that  melodious  voice  which  awakens  sen- 
sibility, the  hand  which  puts  aside  veils  of  mist  and 
reveals  shores  bathed  by  the  fires  of  the  South. 

When  Madame  Claes  detained  the  old  man  in  front 
of  a  picture  by  Guido  representing  an  angel,  Mar- 
guerite put  her  head  forward  to  see  what  impression 
it  would  produce  upon  Emmanuel,  and  the  young 
man's  eyes  sought  Marguerite's  to  compare  the 
mute  thought  of  the  canvas  to  the  living  thought 
of  the  living  creature.  That  involuntary  and  charm- 
ing flattery  was  understood  and  relished  to  the  full. 
The  old  abbe  gravely  praised  the  beautiful  work,  and 
Madame  Claes  answered  him;  but  the  two  children 
were  silent.  Such  was  their  meeting.  The  mys- 
terious light  in  the  gallery,  the  peace  reigning  in 
the  house,  the  presence  of  the  older  people,  all 
contributed  to  engrave  more  deeply  in  their  hearts 
the  delicate  hues  of  that  vaporous  mirage.  The 
innumerable  confused  thoughts  which  had  rained 
upon  Marguerite  subsided,  formed  a  sort  of  trans- 
parent expanse  in  her  mind,  and  were  bathed  in 
a  ray  of  brilliant  light  when  Emmanuel  stammered  a 
few  words  as  he  took  leave  of  Madame  Claes.  That 
voice,  whose  fresh,  smooth  tones  diffused  a  most 
extraordinary  charm  through  the  heart,  completed 
the  sudden  revelation  which  Emmanuel  had  caused 
and  which  was  destined  to  bear  fruit  to  his  benefit; 
for  the  man  of  whom  destiny  makes  use  to  awaken 
love  in  a  young  girl's  heart  is  often  in  ignorance  of 
what  he  is  doing  and  leaves  his  work  unfinished. 
Marguerite    bowed,    speechless   with   emotion,    and 


THE  QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE  147 

said  adieu  in  a  glance  which  seemed  to  express 
regret  for  the  vanishing  of  that  pure  and  charming 
vision.  Like  the  child,  she  wanted  her  melody  to 
continue.  The  adieus  vvere  said  at  the  foot  of  the 
old  staircase  in  front  of  the  old  parlor  door;  and, 
when  she  entered  the  parlor,  she  looked  after  the 
uncle  and  the  nephew  until  the  parlor  door  had  closed 
upon  them.  Madame  Claes  had  been  too  much 
engrossed  in  the  serious  subjects  discussed  in  her 
conference  with  her  confessor,  to  think  of  scrutin- 
izing her  daughter's  face. 

When  Monsieur  de  Solis  and  his  nephew  appeared 
the  next  time,  she  was  still  too  intensely  agitated  to 
notice  the  flush  that  rose  to  Marguerite's  cheeks, 
betraying  the  fermentation  of  the  first  pleasure  in  a 
virgin  heart.  When  the  old  abbe  was  announced, 
Marguerite  had  resumed  her  work,  and  seemed  to 
be  attending  so  closely  to  it,  that  she  bowed  to  the 
uncle  and  the  nephew  without  looking  at  them.  Mon- 
sieur Claes  mechanically  returned  the  salutation  of 
Abbe  de  Solis,  and  left  the  parlor  like  one  called  else- 
where by  his  duties.  The  pious  Dominican  had  taken 
his  seat  beside  his  penitent,  bestowing  upon  her  one 
of  those  searching  glances  with  which  he  probed 
men's  souls;  the  sight  of  Monsieur  Claes  and  his 
wife  together  was  enough  to  enable  him  to  divine 
an  impending  catastrophe. 

"  Go  into  the  garden,  children,"  said  the  mother. 
"  Marguerite,  show  Emmanuel  your  father's  tulips." 

Marguerite,  half-abashed,  took  Felicie's  arm  and 
glanced  at  the  young  man,  who  blushed  and  left  the 


148  THE  QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE 

parlor,  taking  Jean  along  to  keep  himself  in  counte- 
nance. When  they  were  all  four  in  the  garden, 
Felicie  and  Jean  went  their  own  way,  leaving  Mar- 
guerite practically  alone  with  young  de  Solis;  she 
led  him  to  the  tulip-bed,  arranged  every  year  in 
exactly  the  same  way  by  Lemulquinier. 

"Do  you  like  tulips?"  asked  Marguerite,  after  a 
moment  of  the  most  profound  silence,  which  Em- 
manuel seemed  disinclined  to  break. 

"They  are  beautiful  flowers,  mademoiselle,  but, 
in  order  to  love  them,  one  must  have  the  taste  for 
them,  must  be  able  to  appreciate  their  beauties. 
They  dazzle  me.  The  habit  of  work  in  the  dark  little 
room  in  which  I  live  at  my  uncle's  doubtless  leads 
me  to  prefer  those  which  are  softer  to  the  eye." 

As  he  said  the  last  words,  he  glanced  at  Margue- 
rite, but  that  glance,  overflowing  with  vague  desires, 
contained  no  allusion  to  the  mellow  whiteness,  the 
placidity,  the  soft  coloring,  which  made  that  face  a 
flower. 

"  Do  you  work  very  much?"  rejoined  Marguerite, 
leading  Emmanuel  to  a  green  wooden  bench,  fur- 
nished with  a  back.  "From  here,"  she  continued, 
"  you  will  not  see  the  tulips  at  such  close  range,  and 
they  will  tire  your  eyes  less.  You  are  right,  those 
colors  are  glaring  and  unpleasant." 

"Yes,  I  work  a  great  deal!"  replied  the  young 
man,  after  a  moment's  silence,  during  which  he 
smoothed  the  gravel  in  the  path  with  his  foot.  "I 
work  at  all  sorts  of  things.  My  uncle  wanted  to 
make  me  a  priest." 


THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE  149 

"Oh!"  said  Marguerite,  artlessly. 

"  I  objected,  1  felt  no  vocation  for  it.  But  it  re- 
quired a  great  deal  of  courage  to  oppose  my  uncle's 
wishes.  He  is  so  kind,  he  loves  me  so  dearly!  He 
lately  hired  a  substitute  to  save  me  from  the  con- 
scription, me,  a  poor  orphan — " 

"  What  profession  do  you  mean  to  adopt?"  asked 
Marguerite;  but  she  instantly  made  a  gesture  as  if 
she  would  withdraw  the  question,  and  added:  "  I  beg 
your  pardon,  monsieur,  you  must  think  me  very 
inquisitive!" 

"  Oh!  mademoiselle,"  said  Emmanuel,  looking  at 
her  with  no  less  tenderness  than  admiration,  "no 
one  except  my  uncle  ever  asked  me  that  question. 
I  am  studying  to  be  a  professor.  What  would  you 
have?  I  am  not  rich.  If  1  become  principal  of  a 
college  in  Flanders,  I  shall  have  enough  to  live 
modestly,  and  I  shall  marry  some  humble  woman 
whom  I  will  love  dearly.  Such  is  the  life  that  I 
have  in  prospect.  Perhaps  that  is  why  I  prefer  a 
field-daisy  over  which  everybody  walks  in  the  plain 
of  Orchies,  to  these  beautiful  tulips,  brilliant  with 
gold  and  purple  and  sapphire  and  emerald,  which 
represent  a  life  of  luxury,  just  as  the  daisy  repre- 
sents a  placid,  patriarchal  life,  the  life  of  a  poor 
professor  such  as  1  shall  be." 

"I  have  always  called  daisies  marguerites,"  she 
said. 

Emmanuel  de  Solis  blushed  furiously,  and  cud- 
gelled his  brain  for  a  reply,  stirring  up  the  gravel 
with  his  feet.     Perplexed  as  to  the  best  choice  to 


150  THE  QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE 

make  among  all  the  ideas  which  came  to  his  mind, 
and  which  seemed  idiotic  to  him,  and  disconcerted 
by  his  own  delay  in  replying,  he  said:  "  I  dared  not 
pronounce  your  name — "  then  stopped. 

"Professor!"  she  rejoined. 

"Oh!  mademoiselle,  I  shall  be  a  professor  in 
order  to  have  a  profession,  but  I  shall  undertake 
works  which  may  make  me  of  far  greater  service 
to  mankind.  I  have  a  great  liking  for  historical 
works." 

"Ah!" 

That  ah!  overflowing  with  secret  thoughts,  made 
the  young  man  still  more  shamefaced,  and  he  began 
to  laugh  foolishly,  saying: 

"  You  make  me  talk  about  myself,  mademoiselle, 
when  I  would  like  to  talk  to  you  about  nothing  but 
yourself." 

"  My  mother  and  your  uncle  have  finished  their 
conversation,  I  believe,"  she  said,  looking  at  the 
parlor  window. 

"  It  seemed  to  me  that  your  mother  was  greatly 
changed." 

"  She  suffers,  but  will  not  tell  us  the  cause  of  her 
suffering,  and  we  can  do  nothing  but  sympathize  with 
her  unhappiness." 

Madame  Claes  had,  in  fact,  finished  a  consultation 
upon  a  delicate  subject,  a  case  of  conscience  which 
only  Abbe  de  Solis  could  decide.  Foreseeing  utter 
ruin,  she  wished,  unknown  to  Balthazar,  who  gave 
but  little  thought  to  his  affairs,  to  set  aside  a  con- 
siderable sum  out  of  the  proceeds  of  the  pictures 


THE   QUEST  OF  THE   ABSOLUTE  151 

which  Monsieur  de  Solis  undertook  to  sell  in  Hol- 
land, to  be  held  in  reserve  for  the  moment  when  the 
family  should  be  in  want.  After  mature  deliberation, 
and  after  being  made  thoroughly  acquainted  with  the 
plight  in  which  his  penitent  found  herself,  the  old 
Dominican  gave  his  approval  to  that  prudent  step. 
He  took  his  leave  of  her  to  give  his  attention  to  the 
sale,  which  must  be  effected  secretly  in  order  to  in- 
jure Monsieur  Claes's  reputation  as  little  as  possible. 

The  old  man  sent  his  nephew,  armed  with  a  letter 
of  recommendation,  to  Amsterdam,  where  the  young 
man,  overjoyed  to  render  a  service  to  the  family  of 
Claes,  succeeded  in  selling  the  pictures  in  the  gal- 
lery to  Happe  and  Duncker,  the  famous  bankers, 
for  the  ostensible  price  of  eighty-five  thousand  Hol- 
land ducats,  to  which  were  added  fifteen  thousand 
more  to  be  given  secretly  to  Madame  Claes.  The 
pictures  were  so  well  known  that  nothing  more  was 
needed  to  consummate  the  sale  than  Balthazar's  re- 
ply to  the  letter  Messrs.  Happe  and  Duncker  wrote  to 
him.  Emmanuel  de  Solis  was  authorized  by  Claes 
to  receive  the  money  for  the  pictures,  which  were 
shipped  secretly,  so  that  all  knowledge  of  the  sale 
might  be  concealed  from  the  town  of  Douai. 

In  the  latter  part  of  September,  Balthazar  repaid 
the  sums  which  had  been  lent  to  him,  redeemed  his 
property,  and  resumed  his  labors;  but  Claes  House 
was  bereft  of  its  loveliest  adornment.  Blinded  by 
his  passion,  he  showed  no  sign  of  regret;  he  felt  so 
confident  that  he  should  soon  be  able  to  repair  that 
loss,  that  he  had  made  the  sale  subject  to  his  right 


152  THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE 

of  redemption.  A  hundred  painted  canvases  were 
nothing  in  Josephine's  eyes  compared  with  domestic 
happiness  and  her  husband's  satisfaction;  she  filled 
the  galleries  with  the  pictures  that  hung  in  the  re- 
ception-rooms, and  changed  the  arrangement  of  the 
furniture  in  the  house  on  the  street,  to  conceal 
the  void  left  by  their  removal.  When  his  debts  were 
paid,  Balthazar  had  about  two  hundred  thousand 
francs  on  hand  with  which  to  renew  his  experiments. 
Monsieur  l'Abbe  de  Solis  and  his  nephew  held  in 
trust  the  fifteen  thousand  ducats  reserved  by  Madame 
Claes.  To  increase  that  sum,  the  abbe  sold  the 
ducats  which  the  events  of  the  Continental  war  had 
advanced  to  a  premium.  One  hundred  and  sixty-six 
thousand  francs  in  crown-pieces  were  buried  in  the 
cellar  of  the  house  occupied  by  Abbe  de  Solis. 

Madame  Claes  had  the  melancholy  satisfaction  of 
seeing  her  husband  constantly  occupied  for  nearly 
eight  months.  But  the  blow  he  had  dealt  her  was  too 
severe  for  her  strength,  and  she  fell  into  a  decline, 
in  which  her  condition  necessarily  became  worse. 
Science  absorbed  Balthazar  so  completely  that  neither 
the  reverses  experienced  by  France,  nor  the  first  fall 
of  Napoleon,  nor  the  return  of  the  Bourbons,  lured 
him  from  his  occupation;  he  was  neither  husband 
nor  father  nor  citizen;  he  was  a  chemist. 

Toward  the  close  of  the  year  1814,  Madame  Claes 
was  so  far  gone  with  consumption  that  she  could  not 
leave  her  bed.  Not  wishing  to  languish  in  her  bed- 
room, where  she  had  been  so  happy,  where  the  re- 
minders of  her  vanished  happiness  would  have  given 


THE   QUEST  OF  THE   ABSOLUTE  1 53 


rise  to  involuntary  comparisons  with  the  present 
which  would  have  torn  her  heart,  she  remained  in 
the  parlor.  The  doctors  had  approved  her  heartfelt 
wish,  considering  that  room  more  airy,  more  cheerful, 
and  more  suitable  for  one  in  her  condition  than  her 
bedroom.  The  bed  on  which  the  unfortunate  woman 
ended  her  days  stood  between  the  fireplace  and  the 
window  looking  on  the  garden.  There  she  passed 
her  last  days,  devoutly  occupied  in  perfecting  the 
souls  of  her  two  daughters,  upon  which  it  gave  her 
untold  pleasure  to  allow  the  bright  light  of  her  own  to 
shine.  When  conjugal  love  is  impeded  in  its  mani- 
festations, it  allows  the  maternal  love  to  display  itself. 
The  mother  showed  herself  the  more  charming  for 
her  delay  in  giving  expression  to  her  mother-love. 
Like  all  noble-minded  persons,  she  was  conscious 
of  a  supreme  delicacy  of  sentiment  which  she  took 
for  remorse.  Believing  that  she  had  deprived  her 
children  of  some  affection  that  was  due  to  them, 
she  sought  to  redeem  her  imaginary  faults,  and  lav- 
ished loving  attentions  upon  them  which  made  her 
doubly  dear  to  them;  she  tried,  in  a  certain  sense, 
to  make  them  live  the  life  of  her  heart,  to  shelter 
them  with  her  failing  wings,  and  to  love  them  in 
one  day  for  all  the  days  she  had  neglected  them. 
Suffering  gave  to  her  caresses  and  her  words  an 
unctuous  warmth  which  came  from  her  soul.  Her 
eyes  rested  caressingly  on  her  children  before  her 
voice  moved  their  hearts  by  words  overflowing 
with  loving-kindness,  and  her  hand  seemed  always 
to  be  pouring  benedictions  upon  them. 


* 

If,  after  momentarily  resuming  its  habit  of  mag- 
nificent entertaining,  Claes  House  soon  ceased  to 
receive  guests,  if  its  isolation  became  more  com- 
plete, if  Balthazar  no  longer  celebrated  his  wedding 
anniversary  with  a  fete,  the  town  of  Douai  was  not 
surprised.  In  the  first  place,  Madame  Claes's  illness 
seemed  a  sufficient  reason  for  that  change;  then,  too, 
the  payment  of  Balthazar's  debts  imposed  silence 
upon  evil-speaking;  and,  finally,  the  political  vicissi- 
tudes which  Flanders  was  compelled  to  undergo,  the 
war  of  the  Hundred  Days,  the  foreign  occupation, 
caused  Balthazar  to  be  completely  forgotten.  Dur- 
ing those  two  years,  the  town  was  so  often  on  the 
point  of  being  taken,  occupied  so  many  times  by 
the  French  and  by  the  enemy;  so  many  foreigners 
came  thither,  so  many  country  people  took  refuge 
within  the  walls,  the  interests  of  so  many  persons 
were  compromised,  so  many  lives  endangered,  there 
was  so  much  excitement  and  misery,  that  everyone 
could  think  only  of  himself. 

Abbe  de  Solis  and  his  nephew  and  the  two 
brothers  Pierquin  being  the  only  persons  who  visited 
Madame  Claes,  the  winter  of  1814-15  was  to  her 
the  most  painful  of  death-agonies.  Her  husband 
rarely  came  to  see  her.  To  be  sure,  he  remained  with 
her  several  hours  after  dinner;  but,  as  she  no  longer 
had  the  strength  to  sustain  a  long  conversation,  he 

(i55) 


156  THE  QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE 

would  utter  one  or  two  sentences  that  were  always 
the  same,  then  he  would  sit  down  and  hold  his 
peace,  and  a  horrible  silence  would  reign  in  the 
parlor.  The  monotony  was  relieved  somewhat  when 
Abbe  de  Solis  and  his  nephew  passed  the  evening 
at  Claes  House.  While  the  old  abbe  played  back- 
gammon with  Balthazar,  Marguerite  talked  with 
Emmanuel  by  her  mother's  bedside,  and  Josephine 
smiled  upon  their  innocent  happiness,  never  betray- 
ing by  a  sign  how  painful  and  at  the  same  time  how 
refreshing  to  her  bruised  heart  was  the  fresh  breeze 
of  those  virginal  loves  overflowing  in  waves  at  every 
word.  The  tone  of  voice  which  charmed  those  two 
children  broke  her  heart,  a  glance  of  mutual  under- 
standing which  she  surprised  as  it  passed  between 
them,  brought  back  to  her  mind,  on  her  death-bed, 
memories  of  the  hours  of  her  happy  youth  which  in- 
tensified the  bitterness  of  the  present.  Emmanuel 
and  Marguerite  had  a  delicacy  of  feeling  which  caused 
them  to  restrain  the  charming  child's  play  of  love,  in 
order  not  to  hurt  a  suffering  woman  whose  wounds 
were  instinctively  divined  by  them. 

No  one  has  ever  as  yet  remarked  that  the  senti- 
ments have  a  life  of  their  own,  a  nature  derived 
from  the  circumstances  amid  which  they  were  born; 
they  retain  the  features  of  the  places  where  they 
grow  to  maturity,  and  the  stamp  of  the  ideas  which 
influenced  their  development.  There  are  passions 
ardently  conceived  which  retain  their  ardor,  like 
Madame  Claes 's  passion  for  her  husband;  then  there 
are  sentiments  upon  which  everything  has  smiled, 


THE  QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE  I  57 

which  retain  the  joyous  activity  of  the  early  morn- 
ing, their  harvests  of  joy  are  never  unaccompanied 
by  laughter  and  fetes;  but  there  are  also  passions 
fatally  encompassed  by  melancholy  or  begirt  by  mis- 
fortune, passions  whose  pleasures  are  painful,  costly, 
beset  with  dread,  poisoned  by  remorse,  or  overflow- 
ing with  despair.  The  love  buried  in  the  hearts 
of  Emmanuel  and  Marguerite,  although  neither  of 
them  understood  as  yet  that  love  was  involved  in 
their  relations — that  sentiment  that  bloomed  beneath 
the  sombre  arched  ceiling  of  the  Claes  gallery,  in  the 
presence  of  a  stern  old  abbe,  in  a  moment  of  silence 
and  tranquillity;  that  love,  serious  and  reserved, 
but  abounding  in  delicate  attentions,  in  secret  joys 
as  sweet  as  grapes  stolen  in  the  corner  of  a  vineyard, 
retained  the  brown  and  gray  tints  which  colored  it  in 
the  first  hours  of  its  existence.  Afraid  to  indulge 
in  any  outspoken  demonstration  beside  that  bed  of 
pain,  those  two  children  magnified  their  enjoyment, 
unknown  to  themselves,  by  a  concentration  which 
stamped  it  in  the  inmost  recesses  of  their  hearts. 
There  were  loving  attentions  to  the  invalid,  in  which 
Emmanuel  delighted  to  share,  happy  in  the  oppor- 
tunity to  unite  himself  more  closely  to  Marguerite 
by  making  himself,  in  anticipation,  a  son  of  that 
mother.  A  melancholy  word  of  thanks  replaced  on 
the  girl's  lips  the  honeyed  language  of  lovers.  The 
sighs  of  their  hearts,  filled  with  joy  by  the  glances 
they  exchanged,  were  hardly  to  be  distinguished 
from  the  sighs  extorted  by  the  spectacle  of  their 
mother's  suffering.     Their  brief,  happy  moments  of 


158  THE   QUEST  OF  THE   ABSOLUTE 

indirect  avowals,  of  unfinished  promises,  of  repressed 
outpourings  of  the  heart,  might  be  compared  to  the 
allegories  painted  by  Raphael  on  dark  backgrounds. 
They  both  had  a  certainty  which  they  did  not  ac- 
knowledge to  themselves;  they  knew  that  the  sun 
was  shining  above  them,  but  they  did  not  know 
what  wind  would  drive  away  the  heavy  black  clouds 
massed  over  their  heads;  they  were  doubtful  of  the 
future,  and,  fearing  that  they  were  destined  to  be  al- 
ways side  by  side  with  suffering,  they  remained  tim- 
idly in  the  shadow  of  that  twilight,  not  daring  to  say 
to  each  other:  "Shall  we  finish  the  day  together?" 
Nevertheless,  by  the  affection  which  Madame  Claes 
displayed  for  her  children,  she  nobly  concealed  all 
those  causes  of  anxiety  as  to  which  she  imposed  si- 
lence upon  herself.  Her  children  caused  her  neither 
apprehension  nor  terror,  they  were  her  consolation, 
but  they  were  not  her  life;  she  was  living  for  them, 
she  was  dying  for  Balthazar. 

Painful  as  was  the  presence  of  her  husband,  who 
sat  wrapt  in  thought  for  hours  together,  and  from 
time  to  time  glanced  listlessly  at  her,  those  cruel 
moments  were  the  only  time  when  she  forgot  her 
suffering.  Balthazar's  indifference  to  that  dying 
woman  would  have  seemed  criminal  to  any  stranger 
who  had  chanced  to  witness  it;  but  Madame  Claes 
and  her  daughters  were  accustomed  to  it,  they  were 
acquainted  with  his  heart,  and  they  absolved  him. 
If,  during  the  day,  Madame  Claes  suddenly  became 
worse,  if  she  passed  through  a  dangerous  crisis,  if 
she  seemed  to  be  at  the  point  of  death,  Balthazar 


THE  QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE  I  59 

was  the  only  person  in  the  house  or  in  the  town  who 
did  not  know  it ;  Lemulquinier,  his  valet,  knew  it ; 
but  neither  his  daughters,  upon  whom  their  mother 
enjoined  silence,  nor  his  wife  informed  him  of  the 
perilous  condition  of  a  creature  whom  he  once  loved 
so  fervently.  When  his  footsteps  echoed  through 
the  gallery  as  he  came  down  to  dinner,  Madame 
Claes  was  happy:  she  was  going  to  see  him,  and 
she  summoned  all  her  strength  that  she  might  en- 
joy that  blessing  to  the  full.  As  he  entered  the  room, 
that  pallid,  half-dead  creature  would  flush  vividly 
and  recover  a  semblance  of  health;  the  scientist 
would  come  to  her  bedside,  take  her  hand,  and  see 
her  in  a  false  guise;  to  him  only  she  seemed  well. 
When  he  asked:  "  My  dear  wife,  how  are  you  to- 
day?" she  would  reply:  "Better,  my  dear!"  and 
make  that  preoccupied  man  believe  that  she  would 
be  up  and  about  the  next  day,  fully  restored  to 
health.  Balthazar's  abstraction  was  so  complete 
that  he  considered  the  disease  of  which  his  wife  was 
dying  a  simple  indisposition.  Moribund  to  everybody 
else,  she  was  full  of  life  in  his  eyes. 

A  complete  separation  between  the  husband  and  the 
wife  was  the  result  of  that  year.  Claes  slept  apart, 
rose  early,  and  shut  himself  up  in  his  laboratory 
or  in  his  study;  as  he  no  longer  saw  her  except  in 
the  presence  of  her  daughters  or  of  the  two  or  three 
friends  who  visited  her,  he  became  weaned  from  her. 
Those  two,  who  were  formerly  in  the  habit  of  think- 
ing in  common,  now  had,  and  then  at  long  intervals, 
only  those  moments  of  communion,  of  unconstraint, 


160  THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE 

of  expansion,  which  constitute  the  life  of  the  heart, 
and  there  came  a  time  when  even  those  rare  joys 
ceased.  Physical  suffering  came  to  the  assistance 
of  that  poor  woman  and  helped  her  to  endure  a 
void,  a  separation,  which  would  have  killed  her  if 
she  had  been  fully  alive.  She  suffered  such  intense 
pain,  that  sometimes  she  was  happy  in  the  thought 
that  he  whom  she  still  loved  was  not  a  witness  of 
it.  She  could  gaze  at  Balthazar  during  a  part  of  the 
evening,  and,  knowing  that  he  was  happy  in  his 
own  way,  she  espoused  the  happiness  that  she  had 
procured  for  him.  That  frail  enjoyment  was  enough 
for  her,  she  no  longer  asked  herself  whether  he 
loved  her,  she  struggled  to  believe  that  he  did,  and 
glided  over  that  layer  of  ice,  afraid  to  bear  heavily 
upon  it,  lest  she  should  break  it  and  drown  her  heart 
in  a  horrible  void.  As  nothing  occurred  to  disturb 
that  tranquillity,  and  as  the  disease  which  was 
slowly  consuming  Madame  Claes  contributed  to  the 
peace  of  the  household,  maintaining  the  conjugal 
affection  in  a  passive  condition,  the  early  days  of 
the  year  1816  arrived  without  a  shock  and  found  the 
family  in  the  depressing  state  we  have  described. 

One  day,  late  in  February,  Pierquin  the  notary 
dealt  the  blow  which  was  destined  to  hurry  into  the 
grave  an  angelic  woman,  whose  soul,  so  said  Abbe 
de  Solis,  was  almost  without  sin. 

"Madame,"  he  whispered  in  her  ear,  seizing  a 
moment  when  her  daughters  could  not  hear  what 
he  said,  "  Monsieur  Claes  has  instructed  me  to  bor- 
row three  hundred  thousand  francs  on  his  estates; 


THE   QUEST  OF  THE   ABSOLUTE  l6l 

you  must  take  steps  to  protect  your  children's  for- 
tune." 

Madame  Claes  clasped  her  hands,  looked  up  at 
the  ceiling,  and  thanked  the  notary  with  a  kindly 
inclination  of  the  head  and  a  sad  smile,  by  which  he 
was  deeply  touched.  That  sentence  was  a  dagger- 
thrust  which  killed  Pepita.  During  that  day,  she 
was  absorbed  in  painful  reflections  which  swelled 
her  heart  almost  to  bursting,  and  she  was  in  a  plight 
similar  to  that  of  the  traveller  who  steps  on  a  small 
stone,  loses  his  equilibrium,  and  rolls  to  the  bottom 
of  the  precipice  along  whose  edge  he  has  been  feel- 
ing his  way  bravely  for  a  long  while. 

When  the  notary  had  gone,  Madame  Claes  bade 
Marguerite  bring  her  writing  materials,  collected  her 
strength,  and  devoted  herself  for  some  moments  to 
the  task  of  writing  a  testamentary  letter.  She  paused 
several  times  to  gaze  at  her  daughter.  The  hour  for 
confessions  had  come.  Marguerite,  while  managing 
the  house  during  her  mother's  illness,  had  so  com- 
pletely fulfilled  the  dying  woman's  hopes,  that  Ma- 
dame Claes  looked  forward  to  the  future  of  her 
family  without  despair,  seeming  to  see  herself  living 
again  in  that  brave-hearted  and  loving  angel.  Doubt- 
less the  two  women  felt  that  they  had  mutual  and 
painful  confidences  to  make  to  each  other,  for  the 
daughter  looked  at  the  mother  the  instant  that  her 
mother  looked  at  her,  and  both  had  tears  in  their 
eyes.  Several  times,  when  Madame  Claes  paused 
to  rest,  Marguerite  said:  "Mother? — "  as  if  she  were 
about  to  speak;  then  she  stopped,  as  if  suffocated, 
ii 


162  THE  QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE 

and  her  mother,  too  much  engrossed  by  her  own 
thoughts,  asked  for  an  explanation  of  the  question. 
At  last,  Madame  Claes  was  ready  to  seal  her  letter; 
Marguerite,  who  was  holding  a  candle  for  her,  dis- 
creetly withdrew  in  order  not  to  see  the  super- 
scription. 

"  You  may  read  it,  my  child !"  said  the  invalid,  in 
a  heart-rending  tone. 

Marguerite  saw  that  her  mother  wrote  the  words: 
"  For  my  daughter  Marguerite." 

"  We  will  talk  when  I  have  rested,"  she  added, 
placing  the  letter  under  her  bolster. 

Then  she  fell  back  on  her  pillow,  as  if  exhausted 
by  the  effort  she  had  made,  and  slept  for  several 
hours.  When  she  awoke,  both  her  daughters  and 
both  her  sons  were  kneeling  by  her  bed  and  praying 
fervently.  It  was  Thursday.  Gabriel  and  Jean  had 
come  from  their  school  in  charge  of  Emmanuel  de 
Solis,  who  had  been  appointed  professor  of  history 
and  philosophy  six  months  before. 

"  Dear  children,  we  must  say  adieu!"  she  cried. 
"  You  do  not  abandon  me!  and  he  whom — " 

She  did  not  finish. 

"Monsieur  Emmanuel,"  said  Marguerite,  seeing 
the  color  fade  from  her  mother's  cheeks,  "go  and 
tell  father  that  mamma  is  worse." 

Young  Solis  went  up  to  the  laboratory,  and  in- 
duced Lemulquinier  to  tell  Balthazar  to  come  and 
speak  to  him;  and  he  said  in  reply  to  the  young 
man's  urgent  summons: 

"  I  will  come." 


THE  QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE  163 

"My  friend,"  said  Madame  Claes  to  Emmanuel, 
when  tie  returned,  "take  my  two  boys  and  go  and 
find  your  uncle.  It  is  time,  I  think,  for  me  to  receive 
the  last  sacraments,  and  I  would  like  to  receive  them 
at  his  hands." 

When  she  was  alone  with  her  daughters,  she  made 
a  sign  to  Marguerite,  who,  understanding  her  wishes, 
sent  Felicie  away. 

"  I  have  something  to  say  to  you,  too,  mamma," 
said  Marguerite,  who,  not  realizing  how  ill  her 
mother  was,  inflamed  the  wound  inflicted  by  Pier- 
quin.  "  For  ten  days  I  have  had  no  money  for  the 
household  expenses,  and  I  owe  the  servants  six 
months'  wages.  Twice  I  have  tried  to  ask  father 
for  money  and  I  have  not  dared.  You  don't  know 
what  he  has  done!  the  pictures  in  the  gallery  and 
the  wine  in  the  cellar  have  been  sold." 

"  He  never  said  a  word  to  me  of  all  that!"  cried 
Madame  Claes.  "  O  God  !  thou  dost  call  me  home 
in  time. — My  poor  children,  what  will  become  of 
you?" 

She  prayed  earnestly,  and  her  eyes  gleamed  with 
the  flames  of  repentance. 

"Marguerite,"  she  continued,  taking  the  letter 
from  under  her  bolster,  "here  is  a  letter  which 
you  are  not  to  open  and  read  unless,  after  my 
death,  you  are  in  the  greatest  distress,  that  is  to 
say,  unless  you  lack  bread  to  eat  in  this  house. 
My  darling  Marguerite,  love  your  father  dearly,  but 
take  care  of  your  sister  and  brothers.  In  a  few  days, 
in  a  few  hours,  perhaps,  you  will  be  at  the  head  of 


164  THE  QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE 

the  house!  Be  economical.  If  you  should  find 
yourself  in  opposition  to  your  father's  wishes, — 
and  that  may  happen,  since  he  has  spent  large 
sums  in  pursuit  of  a  secret,  the  discovery  of  which 
is  likely  to  bring  him  great  renown  and  wealth,  and 
he  will  doubtless  need  more  money  and  will  perhaps 
ask  you  for  it, — in  that  case,  display  all  a  daughter's 
affection  and  find  a  way  to  reconcile  the  interests  of 
which  you  will  be  the  only  protector  with  what  you 
owe  to  a  father,  to  a  great  man  who  sacrifices  his 
happiness,  his  life,  to  the  glory  of  his  family;  he 
could  not  do  wrong  except  in  appearance,  his  pur- 
poses will  always  be  noble,  he  is  such  a  dear,  good 
man,  and  his  heart  is  full  of  love;  you  will  live  to 
see  him  kindly  and  affectionate  once  more!  1  have 
felt  bound  to  say  thus  much  to  you  on  the  brink  of 
the  grave,  Marguerite.  If  you  wish  to  soothe  the 
agony  of  my  death,  my  child,  you  will  promise  to 
take  my  place  with  your  father  and  never  to  cause 
him  any  unhappiness;  do  not  reproach  him,  do  not 
judge  him!  In  a  word,  be  a  gentle  and  willing 
mediator  until  such  time  as  his  work  is  finished 
and  he  resumes  his  position  as  the  head  of  his 
family." 

"I  understand  you,  dear  mother,"  said  Margue- 
rite, kissing  the  dying  woman's  inflamed  eyes,  "  and 
I  will  do  as  you  wish." 

"  Do  not  marry,  my  angel,"  continued  Madame 
Claes,  "  until  Gabriel  is  able  to  succeed  you  in  the 
management  of  the  household  affairs.  Your  hus- 
band, if  you  should  marry,  might  not  share  your 


THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE  165 

feelings,  might  bring  discord  into  the  family  and 
torment  your  father." 

Marguerite  looked  in  her  mother's  face,  and  said: 

"  Have  you  nothing  else  to  say  to  me  about  my 
marriage?" 

"Can  it  be  that  you  hesitate?"  said  the  dying 
woman  in  dismay. 

"  No,"  was  the  reply,  "  I  promise  to  obey  you." 

"  Poor  child,  I  could  not  make  up  my  mind  to  sac- 
rifice myself  for  you,"  added  the  mother,  shedding 
hot  tears,  "and  I  ask  you  to  sacrifice  yourself  for 
all !  Happiness  makes  one  selfish.  Yes,  Margue- 
rite, I  have  been  weak  because  I  was  happy.  Be 
strong,  retain  your  good  sense  for  the  benefit  of 
those  who  have  none.  Act  so  that  your  brothers 
and  your  sister  will  never  blame  me.  Love  your 
father  dearly,  but  do  not  vex  him — too  much." 

She  threw  her  head  back  upon  her  pillow,  and  said 
no  more:  her  strength  had  abandoned  her.  The  in- 
ternal conflict  between  the  wife  and  the  mother  had 
been  too  fierce. 

A  few  moments  later,  the  clergy  arrived,  preceded 
by  Abbe  de  Solis,  and  the  parlor  was  filled  with 
the  servants.  When  the  ceremony  began,  Madame 
Claes,  whom  her  confessor  aroused  from  her  leth- 
argy, looked  at  all  those  who  stood  about  her  and 
did  not  see  Balthazar. 

"And  monsieur?"  she  said. 

That  question,  in  which  the  whole  story  of  her 
life  and  death  was  told,  was  uttered  in  such  a  pitiful 
tone  that  it  caused  a  painful  thrill  throughout  the 


1 66  THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE 

assemblage.  Despite  her  great  age,  Martha  darted 
away  like  an  arrow,  ran  upstairs,  and  knocked 
loudly  on  the  laboratory  door. 

"Monsieur,  madame  is  dying,  and  they  are  wait- 
ing for  you  before  administering  the  sacraments," 
she  cried,  with  the  vehemence  of  indignation. 

"  I  am  coming  down,"  Balthazar  replied. 

Lemulquinier  appeared  a  moment  later,  saying 
that  his  master  would  follow  him.  Madame  Claes 
did  not  remove  her  gaze  from  the  parlor  door;  but 
her  husband  did  not  appear  until  just  as  the  cere- 
mony was  at  an  end.  Abbe  de  Solis  and  the  children 
stood  around  the  dying  woman's  pillow.  When  she 
saw  her  husband  enter  the  room,  Josephine's  face 
flushed,  and  a  tear  or  two  rolled  down  her  cheeks. 

' '  Doubtless  you  were  just  on  the  point  of  decompo- 
sing nitrogen?"  she  said,  with  an  angelic  sweetness 
which  made  all  those  who  heard  her  shudder. 

"  It  is  done!"  he  cried,  joyfully.  "  Nitrogen  con- 
tains oxygen,  and  a  substance  of  an  imponderable 
nature  which  is  probably  the  active  principle  of — " 

He  was  interrupted  by  a  horror-stricken  murmur 
which  restored  his  presence  of  mind. 

"What  did  they  tell  me?"  he  continued.  "Are 
you  worse?     What  has  happened?" 

"  It  happens,  monsieur,"  said  the  wrathful  Abbe 
de  Solis  in  his  ear,  "that  your  wife  is  dying,  and 
you  have  killed  her!" 

Without  awaiting  a  reply,  Abbe  de  Solis  took  his 
nephew's  arm  and  left  the  room,  followed  by  the 
children,  who  attended  him  as  far  as  the  courtyard. 


THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE  167 

Balthazar  was  as  one  struck  by  lightning,  and  stood 
staring  at  his  wife,  while  tears  fell  from  his  eyes. 

"  You  are  dying,  and  I  have  killed  you!"  he  cried. 
"  What  can  he  possibly  mean?" 

"My  dear,"  she  replied,  "I  lived  only  through 
your  love,  and  you  have  unwittingly  taken  my  life 
from  me." 

"  Leave  us,"  said  Claes  to  his  children,  when 
they  returned  to  the  room. — "  Have  I  ceased  to  love 
you  for  a  single  instant?"  he  continued,  sitting  by 
his  wife's  pillow,  and  taking  her  hands  and  kissing 
them. 

"My  dear,  I  shall  not  reproach  you.  You  have 
made  me  happy,  too  happy;  I  could  not  endure  the 
contrast  between  the  early  days  of  our  married  life, 
which  were  full  to  overflowing,  and  these  last  days, 
during  which  you  have  not  been  yourself,  and  which 
have  been  empty.  Life  of  the  heart,  like  physical 
life,  has  its  phases.  For  six  years  past,  you  have 
been  dead  to  your  love,  to  your  family,  to  every- 
thing that  made  our  happiness.  I  will  not  mention 
the  joys  which  are  the  portion  of  youth,  for  they 
naturally  cease  in  the  autumn  of  life;  but  they  leave 
fruits  upon  which  hearts  feed,  a  boundless  confi- 
dence, pleasant  customs;  and  you  have  snatched 
from  me  those  treasures  of  our  time  of  life.  It  is 
time  for  me  to  go:  we  are  not  living  together  in  any 
sense,  you  conceal  your  thoughts  and  your  acts  from 
me.  How  does  it  happen  that  you  have  come  to 
fear  me?  Have  I  ever  addressed  a  word,  a  glance, 
a  gesture  to  you,  in  which  there  was  a  suggestion  of 


168  THE  QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE 

reproach?  And  yet  you  have  sold  your  last  pic- 
tures, you  have  sold  the  very  wine  in  your  cellar, 
and  you  are  borrowing  again  on  your  property  with- 
out saying  a  word  to  me! — Ah!  I  shall  turn  my  back 
upon  life,  disgusted  with  life.  If  you  commit  errors, 
if  you  blind  your  eyes  to  the  fact  that  you  are  pur- 
suing the  impossible,  have  not  I  shown  you  that 
there  was  so  much  love  in  my  heart  that  it  was 
sweet  to  me  to  share  your  errors,  to  walk  always 
by  your  side  even  though  you  should  lead  me  into 
the  paths  of  crime?  You  have  loved  me  too  well; 
that  is  my  glory  and  that  my  sorrow.  My  illness 
has  lasted  a  long  while,  Balthazar;  it  began  on  the 
day  when,  in  this  room  where  I  am  about  to  die, 
you  proved  to  me  that  you  belonged  to  science  rather 
than  to  your  family.  Your  wife  is  dead,  and  your 
fortune  squandered.  Your  fortune  and  your  wife 
were  your  property,  you  could  dispose  of  them  as 
you  thought  best;  but,  when  I  am  no  more,  my 
fortune  will  be  my  children's,  and  you  will  not  be 
able  to  touch  it.  Then  what  will  become  of  you? 
I  owe  you  the  truth  now,  the  dying  see  a  long  way! 
hereafter  what  will  be  the  counterpoise  to  the  ac- 
cursed passion  which  you  have  made  your  life?  If 
you  have  sacrificed  me  to  it,  your  children  will  be  a 
trifling  obstacle  in  your  path,  for  I  must  do  you  the 
justice  to  say  that  you  preferred  me  to  all  others. 
Two  millions  and  six  years  of  toil  have  been  thrown 
into  that  gulf,  and  you  have  found  nothing." 

At  that,  Claes  put  his  prematurely  white  head  in 
his  hands  and  hid  his  face. 


THE  QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE  169 

"And  you  will  find  nothing  except  shame  for  your- 
self, destitution  for  your  children,"  continued  the 
dying  woman.  "Already  people  call  you  in  derision 
'  Claes  the  alchemist;'  later,  it  will  be  '  Claes  the 
fool!'  For  my  part,  I  believe  in  you.  I  know  that 
you  are  great,  learned,  full  of  genius;  but  in  the 
eyes  of  the  vulgar,  genius  is  akin  to  folly.  Glory  is 
the  sun  of  the  dead;  while  you  live,  you  will  be  un- 
happy, like  all  great  men,  and  you  will  ruin  your 
children.  I  am  going  from  you  without  having  ever 
enjoyed  your  renown,  which  would  have  consoled 
me  for  the  loss  of  happiness.  Dear  Balthazar,  to 
make  my  death  less  bitter,  it  was  necessary  that  1 
should  be  certain  that  our  children  will  have  a  crust 
of  bread;  but  nothing,  not  even  you,  could  allay  my 
anxiety — " 

"I  swear,"  said  Claes,  "to — " 

"Do  not  swear,  my  dear,  so  that  you  need  not 
break  your  oath,"  she  said,  interrupting  him.  "You 
owed  us  your  protection,  we  have  been  without  it 
nearly  seven  years.  Science  is  your  life.  A  great 
man  can  have  neither  wife  nor  children.  Walk  alone 
in  your  paths  of  poverty!  Your  virtues  are  not  those 
of  common  men,  you  belong  to  the  world,  you  can- 
not belong  to  a  wife  or  a  family.  You  drain  the  soil 
around  you  as  great  trees  do!  I,  a  poor,  feeble  plant, 
could  not  rise  high  enough,  I  expire  half-way  up 
your  life.  I  waited  until  this  last  day  to  tell  you  of 
these  ghastly  thoughts,  which  I  discovered  only  by 
the  lightning-flashes  of  grief  and  despair.  Spare  my 
children!     May  these  words  echo  in  your  heart!    I 


170  THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE 

will  repeat  them  until  I  draw  my  last  breath.  The 
wifejis  dead,  you  see!  you  have  stripped  her  little 
by  little  of  her  feelings,  of  her  pleasures.  Alas! 
except  for  that  cruel  service,  which  you  have  ren- 
dered me  involuntarily,  should  I  have  lived  so  long? 
But  these  poor  children  did  not  abandon  me,  they 
have  grown  up  in  presence  of  my  sufferings,  and  the 
mother  has  survived.     Spare,  spare  our  children!" 

"  Lemulquinier!"  exclaimed  Balthazar  in  a  voice  of 
thunder. 

The  old  valet  instantly  appeared. 

"  Go  and  destroy  everything  upstairs,  machines, 
apparatus;  do  it  carefully,  but  smash  everything. — 
I  abandon  science!"  he  said  to  his  wife. 

"  It  is  too  late!"  she  rejoined,  with  a  glance  at 
Lemulquinier. — "Marguerite!"  she  cried  out,  feeling 
that  she  was  dying. 

Marguerite  appeared  in  the  doorway,  and  uttered  a 
piercing  shriek  when  she  saw  her  mother's  dimmed 
eyes. 

"  Marguerite!"  the  dying  woman  repeated. 

That  last  exclamation  contained  such  a  vehement 
appeal  to  her  daughter,  seemed  to  invest  her  with 
such  full  authority,  that  it  was  a  whole  testament  in 
itself.  The  terrified  family  hurried  to  the  parlor, 
and  saw  Madame  Claes  breathe  her  last,  having  ex- 
pended her  last  vital  force  in  her  conversation  with 
her  husband.  Balthazar  and  Marguerite,  standing, 
one  at  the  foot,  the  other  at  the  head  of  the  bed, 
could  not  believe  that  she  was  really  dead;  her 
virtues  and  inexhaustible  affection  were  known  to 


THE  QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE  171 

them  alone.  The  father  and  the  daughter  exchanged 
a  glance  heavy  with  thoughts;  the  daughter  was 
passing  judgment  on  her  father,  the  father  was  trem- 
bling already  lest  he  should  find  in  his  daughter  an 
instrument  of  vengeance.  Although  memories  of  the 
love  with  which  his  wife  had  filled  his  life  besieged 
his  mind  in  throngs,  and  gave  to  the  dead  woman's 
last  words  a  sanctified  authority  which  would  make 
him  always  hear  their  tones,  Balthazar  doubted  his 
heart,  always  too  weak  against  his  genius;  then,  too, 
he  heard  a  terrible  rumbling  of  passion  which  denied 
him  the  strength  of  his  repentance  and  made  him 
afraid  of  himself. 

When  that  woman  had  vanished,  everyone  realized 
that  Claes  House  had  had  a  soul  and  that  that  soul 
was  no  more.  The  grief  of  the  family  was  so  keen 
that  the  parlor  where  the  noble-hearted  Josephine 
seemed  to  live  again,  remained  closed;  no  one  had 
the  courage  to  enter  it. 


Society  practises  none  of  the  virtues  it  demands 
from  men;  it  commits  crimes  every  hour,  but  it  com- 
mits them  in  words;  it  leads  up  to  evil  acts  by  jest- 
ing, as  it  belittles  the  beautiful  by  ridicule;  it  makes 
sport  of  sons  who  mourn  their  fathers  overmuch,  it 
anathematizes  those  who  do  not  mourn  them  enough; 
and  it  amuses  itself  by  weighing  dead  bodies  before 
they  are  cold!' — On  the  evening  of  the  day  on  which 
Madame  Claes  breathed  her  last,  her  friends  tossed 
a  few  flowers  on  her  grave  between  two  games  of 
whist,  and  did  homage  to  her  good  qualities  as  they 
looked  for  a  heart  or  a  club.  Then,  after  a  few  tear- 
ful phrases,  which  are  the  Ba,  be,  bi,  bo,  bu  of  col- 
lective grief,  and  which  are  pronounced  with  the 
same  intonations,  with  neither  more  nor  less  senti- 
ment in  every  town  in  France,  at  every  hour  in  the 
day,  one  and  all  made  estimates  as  to  the  amount  of 
the  inheritance.  Pierquin  was  the  first  to  call  the 
attention  of  those  who  were  discussing  the  event 
to  the  fact  that  that  woman's  death  was  a  blessing  to 
her:  her  husband  made  her  too  unhappy;  but  that  it 
was  a  still  greater  blessing  to  her  children;  she  would 
never  have  had  the  heart  to  refuse  to  turn  over  her 
fortune  to  her  husband,  whom  she  adored  ;  whereas, 
now,  Claes  could  not  touch  it.  And  everyone  made 
an  estimate  of  poor  Madame  Claes's  property,  reck- 
oned up  her  savings, — had  she  or  had  she  not  saved 

(173) 


174  THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE 

anything? — appraised  her  jewels,  exposed  her  ward- 
robe, searched  her  bureau  drawers,  while  the  afflicted 
family  wept  and  prayed  around  the  death-bed. 

With  the  keen  glance  of  a  sworn  appraiser  of 
fortunes,  Pierquin  reckoned  that  Madame  Claes's 
separate  property,  to  use  his  expression,  could  be 
followed,  and  should  amount  to  something  like  fifteen 
hundred  thousand  francs,  consisting  of  the  forest  of 
Waignies,  the  wood  having  increased  enormously  in 
value  in  twelve  years — and  he  counted  large  trees 
and  small,  old  and  new  growth; — and  of  her  interest 
in  Balthazar's  property,  which  could  be  made  to  con- 
tribute to  the  reimbursement  of  her  children,  if  the 
surplus  of  the  liquidation  should  prove  insufficient. 
Thus  Mademoiselle  Claes  was,  to  use  another  of  his 
expressions,  "a  four-hundred-thousand-franc  girl." 

"But  if  she  doesn't  marry  soon,"  he  added, 
"which  would  emancipate  her  and  enable  her  to 
sell  the  forest  of  Waignies,  turn  the  shares  of  the 
minor  children  into  money  and  invest  it  so  that  their 
father  cannot  touch  it,  Monsieur  Claes  is  just  the 
man  to  ruin  his  children." 

Everyone  looked  about  to  see  what  young  men 
there  were  in  the  province  fitted  to  aspire  to  Made- 
moiselle Claes's  hand,  but  no  one  paid  the  notary 
the  compliment  of  assuming  that  he  was  worthy  of 
her.  The  notary  found  some  reason  for  rejecting 
each  one  of  the  possible  partis  suggested,  as  un- 
worthy of  Marguerite.  His  interlocutors  looked  at 
one  another  and  smiled,  and  took  pleasure  in  pro- 
longing that  bit  of  provincial  malice.     Pierquin  had 


THE   QUEST  OF  THE   ABSOLUTE  1 75 

seen  in  Madame  Claes's  death  an  event  favorable  to 
his  pretensions,  and  he  was  already  dissecting  the 
corpse  for  his  own  advantage. 

"  That  excellent  woman,"  he  said  to  himself,  as 
he  went  home  to  bed,  "  was  proud  as  a  peacock,  and 
would  never  have  given  her  daughter  to  me.  Ha! 
ha!  why  shouldn't  I  play  my  cards  now  so  as  to 
marry  her?  Pere  Claes  is  drunk  with  carbon  and 
doesn't  care  what  becomes  of  his  children;  if  1  ask 
him  for  his  daughter  after  I  have  convinced  Margue- 
rite how  urgently  necessary  it  is  for  her  to  marry  in 
order  to  save  the  fortunes  of  her  brothers  and  her 
sister,  he  will  be  glad  enough  to  get  rid  of  a  child 
who  may  be  a  thorn  in  his  flesh." 

He  fell  asleep  dreaming  of  the  charms  of  the  matri- 
monial contract,  and  meditating  upon  the  possible 
advantages  to  himself  in  the  affair  and  the  guaranty 
of  his  happiness  which  he  found  in  the  personal 
charms  of  the  person  whom  he  proposed  to  marry. 
It  would  be  hard  to  find  in  the  province  a  young 
woman  of  more  refined  beauty  and  of  more  perfect 
breeding  than  Marguerite.  Her  modesty  and  her 
grace  might  be  compared  to  those  of  the  pretty 
flower  which  Emmanuel  dared  not  name  before  her, 
fearing  to  disclose  the  secret  aspirations  of  his  heart. 
Her  sentiments  were  dignified,  her  principles  truly 
religious,  she  would  surely  be  a  chaste  wife;  but 
she  not  only  flattered  the  vanity  which  guides  every 
man  more  or  less  in  the  choice  of  a  wife, — she  also 
gratified  the  notary's  pride  by  virtue  of  the  very 
great  consideration  in  which   her  family,  noble  on 


176  THE  QUEST  OF  THE   ABSOLUTE 

both  sides,  was  held  in  Flanders,  and  which  her 
husband  would  share. 

The  next  morning,  Pierquin  took  several  thousand- 
franc  notes  from  his  strong-box,  and  amicably  offered 
them  to  Balthazar,  in  order  to  spare  him  the  annoy- 
ance of  pecuniary  embarrassment  at  a  time  when  he 
was  overwhelmed  with  grief.  Touched  by  that  deli- 
cate attention,  Balthazar  would  undoubtedly  speak 
to  his  daughter  in  eulogistic  terms  of  the  notary's 
kind  heart  and  personal  attractions.  He  did  noth- 
ing of  the  sort.  To  Monsieur  Claes  and  his  daughter 
it  seemed  the  simplest  act  imaginable,  and  their  suf- 
fering was  too  absorbing  to  allow  them  to  think  of 
Pierquin.  Indeed,  Balthazar's  despair  was  so  over- 
whelming that  those  persons  who  were  disposed  to 
blame  his  conduct  forgave  him,  not  so  much  on  the 
ground  of  his  scientific  mania,  which  might  be  con- 
sidered an  excuse,  as  of  his  regrets,  which  could  not 
undo  the  harm  he  had  done.  Society  contents  itself 
with  grimaces,  it  takes  its  pay  for  what  it  gives, 
without  verifying  the  alloy;  in  its  eyes,  genuine 
grief  is  a  spectacle,  a  sort  of  entertainment  which 
disposes  it  to  give  absolution  to  everyone,  even  a 
criminal;  in  its  hunger  for  excitement,  it  acquits 
without  discrimination  both  the  man  who  makes  it 
laugh  and  the  man  who  makes  it  weep,  without 
calling  upon  them  to  explain  their  methods. 

Marguerite  had  completed  her  nineteenth  year 
when  her  father  turned  over  to  her  the  manage- 
ment of  the  house,  where  her  authority  was  piously 
recognized  by  her  sister  and  brothers,  whom  Madame 


THE  QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE  1 77 

Claes,  in  her  last  moments,  had  enjoined  to  obey 
their  older  sister.  Her  mourning  heightened  the  bloom 
of  her  fair  complexion,  just  as  melancholy  brought 
out  in  bold  relief  her  patience  and  her  gentleness. 
From  the  very  beginning,  she  gave  abundant  proof 
of  that  womanly  courage,  that  never-failing  serenity, 
which  must  be  attributes  of  the  angels  whose  duty  it 
is  to  spread  peace  abroad,  touching  suffering  hearts 
with  their  green  palm-branch. 

But,  although  she  accustomed  herself  by  a  prema- 
ture comprehension  of  her  duties  to  conceal  her  grief, 
it  was  none  the  less  keen;  her  placid  exterior  was 
not  in  accord  with  the  depth  of  her  sensations;  and 
she  was  destined  to  become  acquainted  early  in  life 
with  those  terrible  revulsions  of  feeling  which  the 
heart  is  not  always  strong  enough  to  restrain;  to  be 
kept  constantly  confined  by  her  father  between  the 
generous  impulses  natural  to  youthful  hearts  and 
the  imperious  voice  of  necessity.  The  planning  and 
reckoning  which  took  possession  of  her  mind  on  the 
day  after  her  mother's  death  forced  her  to  contend 
with  the  material  interests  of  life  at  an  age  when  girls 
have  no  conception  of  aught  save  its  pleasures.  A 
ghastly  education  in  suffering  which  angelic  natures 
can  never  avoid  ! 

The  love  that  is  based  on  money  and  vanity  is 
the  most  self-willed  of  passions.  Pierquin  did  not 
choose  to  delay  the  execution  of  his  designs  on  the 
heiress.  A  few  days  after  the  assumption  of  mourn- 
ing, he  sought  an  opportunity  to  speak  to  Marguerite, 
and  began  operations  with  an  adroitness  which  might 
12 


178  THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE 

well  have  deluded  her;  but  love  had  implanted  in  her 
heart  a  keenness  of  vision  which  prevented  her  fall- 
ing a  victim  to  appearances,  which  were  the  better 
adapted  to  sentimental  deception  in  that  Pierquin, 
on  that  occasion,  exhibited  the  kindliness  peculiar 
to  his  profession,  the  kindliness  of  the  notary  who 
thinks  that  he  is  in  love  when  he  is  saving  five- 
franc  pieces.  Relying  upon  his  uncertain  relation- 
ship, upon  his  familiarity  with  the  business  and  the 
secrets  of  that  family,  sure  of  the  esteem  and  friend- 
ship of  the  father,  well  served  by  the  heedlessness 
of  a  scientist  who  had  no  preconceived  plan  of  his 
daughter's  future,  and  having  no  idea  that  Margue- 
rite had  already  formed  an  attachment,  he  allowed 
her  to  see  the  real  nature  of  a  suit  which  made 
no  pretence  of  passion  apart  from  the  alliance  of 
schemes  of  the  sort  which  are  most  hateful  to  young 
hearts,  and  which  he  did  not  know  how  to  conceal. 
He  was  the  one  who  artlessly  displayed  his  senti- 
ments while  she  resorted  to  dissimulation,  precisely 
because  he  thought  that  he  was  acting  against  a 
defenceless  girl,  and  underrated  the  privileges  of 
weakness. 

"  My  dear  cousin,"  he  said  to  Marguerite,  as  they 
were  walking  along  the  paths  in  the  little  garden, 
"  you  know  my  heart,  and  you  know  that  my  in- 
clination is  to  respect  the  painful  emotion  from 
which  you  are  suffering  at  this  moment.  My  heart 
is  too  sensitive  for  a  notary,  I  live  only  through  the 
heart,  and  I  am  obliged  to  give  my  attention  all  the 
time  to  the  interests  of  others  when  I  would  like  to 


THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE  1 79 

abandon  myself  to  the  pleasant  emotions  which  make 
life  happy.  So  that  it  pains  me  deeply  to  be  obliged 
to  speak  to  you  upon  subjects  not  in  accord  with  the 
state  of  your  mind;  but  I  must.  1  have  thought  of 
you,  and  of  you  alone,  for  several  days.  I  have  be- 
come "convinced  that,  by  a  strange  fatality,  the  for- 
tune of  your  brothers  and  your  sister,  and  your  own 
fortune  too,  are  in  danger.  Do  you  wish  to  save 
your  family  from  utter  ruin?" 

"  What  must  I  do?"  she  asked,  half  frightened  by 
his  words. 

"Marry,"  replied  Pierquin. 

"  I  will  not  marry!"  she  cried. 

"You  will  marry,"  rejoined  the  notary,  "when 
you  have  duly  reflected  upon  the  critical  situation 
in  which  you  now  are." 

"  How  can  my  marriage  save — ?" 

"  That  is  what  I  expected  you  to  ask,  cousin," 
he  said,  interrupting  her.  "Marriage  is  emancipa- 
tion!" 

"Why  should  I  be  emancipated?"  queried  Mar- 
guerite. 

"  To  put  you  in  possession  of  your  property,  my 
dear  little  cousin,"  replied  the  notary,  triumphantly. 
"  When  you  are  married,  you  are  entitled  to  your 
distributive  share  in  your  mother's  property.  In 
order  to  give  it  to  you,  it  must  be  turned  into  money; 
now,  in  order  to  turn  it  into  money,  the  forest  of 
Waignies  must  be  sold,  must  it  not?  That  being 
done,  the  whole  property  will  be  capitalized,  and 
your  father,  as  guardian,  will  be  required  to  invest 


180  THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE 

the  shares  of  your  brothers  and  sister  so  that  chem- 
istry cannot  touch  it." 

"And  in  the  contrary  event,  what  would  happen?" 
she  asked. 

"Why,"  said  the  notary,  "your  father  will  have 
the  management  of  your  property.  If  he  should 
begin  again  to  try  to  make  gold,  he  could  sell  the 
forest  of  Waignies  and  leave  you  all  as  naked  as 
little  Saint-Johns.  At  this  moment,  the  forest  is 
worth  nearly  fourteen  hundred  thousand  francs;  but 
let  your  father  cut  every  stick  of  wood  to-day  or  to- 
morrow, and  your  thirteen  hundred  acres  won't  be 
worth  three  hundred  thousand.  Isn't  it  better  to 
avoid  that  almost  certain  danger  by  making  the  par- 
tition inevitable  to-day  by  your  emancipation?  In 
that  way  you  will  save  all  the  wood  in  the  forest, 
which  your  father  might  dispose  of  later  to  your  in- 
jury. At  this  moment,  while  his  chemistry  is  asleep, 
he  will  necessarily  invest  the  proceeds  of  the  sale  in 
the  public  funds.  They  are  selling  at  fifty-nine,  so 
that  the  dear  children  will  obtain  an  income  of  nearly 
five  thousand  francs  from  fifty  thousand;  and  as 
property  belonging  to  minors  cannot  be  sold,  your 
brothers  and  your  sister  will  find  their  fortunes 
doubled  when  they  come  of  age.  Whereas,  other- 
wise, bless  my  soul —  You  see  how  it  is.  More- 
over, your  father  has  made  a  hole  in  your  mother's 
property;  we  shall  find  out  what  the  deficit  is  by  an 
inventory.  If  he  is  indebted  to  the  estate,  you  can 
take  a  mortgage  on  his  property  and  save  some- 
thing." 


THE   QUEST  OF  THE   ABSOLUTE  l8l 

"Fie!"  said  Marguerite,  "that  would  be  an 
insult  to  my  father.  My  mother's  last  words  were 
not  spoken  so  long  since  that  I  cannot  remember 
them.  My  father  is  incapable  of  robbing  his  chil- 
dren," she  added,  shedding  tears  of  distress.  "  You 
do  not  know  him,  Monsieur  Pierquin." 

"  But  if  your  father  goes  back  to  his  chemistry, 
my  dear  cousin,  he — " 

"  We  shall  be  ruined,  you  say?" 

"  Oh!  yes,  utterly  ruined!  Believe  me,  Margue- 
rite," he  said,  taking  her  hand  and  placing  it  upon 
his  heart,  "  I  should  be  false  to  my  duty  if  I  did  not 
insist.     Your  interest  alone — " 

"  Monsieur,"  rejoined  Marguerite,  coldly,  with- 
drawing her  hand,  "the  interest  of  my  family, 
which  I  thoroughly  understand,  demands  that  I  do 
not  marry.     My  mother  was  of  that  opinion." 

"Cousin,"  he  cried,  with  the  earnestness  of  a 
man  whose  mind  is  engrossed  with  money  and  who 
sees  a  fortune  vanishing,  "you  are  committing  sui- 
cide, you  are  throwing  your  mother's  inheritance 
overboard.  Very  well !  I  will  prove  the  devotion 
that  results  from  my  extreme  affection  for  you!  You 
do  not  know  how  dearly  I  love  you!  I  have  adored 
you  ever  since  I  saw  you  at  the  last  ball  your  father 
gave  !  you  were  enchanting.  You  can  trust  to  the 
voice  of  the  heart  when  it  talks  of  financial  interests, 
my  dear  Marguerite." 

He  paused. 

"  Yes,  we  will  summon  a  family  council  and 
emancipate  you  without  consulting  you." 


1 82  THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE 

"  But  what  does  it  mean  to  be  emancipated?" 

"  To  enjoy  your  rights." 

"  If  I  can  be  emancipated  without  being  married, 
why  do  you  want  me  to  marry? — and  whom?" 

Pierquin  tried  to  bestow  a  tender  glance  on  his 
cousin,  but  that  expression  was  in  such  striking  con- 
trast to  the  rigidity  of  his  eyes,  accustomed  as  they 
were  to  speak  of  money,  that  Marguerite  fancied  that 
she  could  detect  selfish  scheming  in  that  improvised 
affection. 

"You  should  marry  the  man  who  is  most  attrac- 
tive to  you — in  the  town,"  he  rejoined.  "A  hus- 
band is  indispensable  to  you,  even  as  a  matter  of 
business.  You  are  about  to  have  to  deal  with  your 
father.     Can  you  resist  him,  single-handed?" 

"Oh!  monsieur,  1  shall  find  a  way  to  defend  my 
sister  and  my  brothers  when  the  time  comes." 

"Plague  on  it,  the  chatterbox!"  said  Pierquin  to 
himself. — "  No,  you  could  not  resist  him,"  he  added, 
aloud. 

"  Let  us  change  the  subject,"  she  said. 

"  Adieu,  cousin.  I  shall  try  to  serve  you  in  spite 
of  yourself,  and  I  will  prove  how  well  I  love  you  by 
protecting  you,  whether  you  will  or  not,  against  a 
disaster  that  everybody  in  the  town  anticipates." 

"  I  thank  you  for  the  interest  you  take  in  me,  but 
I  beg  you  not  to  suggest  or  undertake  anything  that 
can  cause  my  father  the  slightest  annoyance." 

Marguerite  remained  deep  in  thought  as  Pierquin 
retired;  she  compared  his  metallic  voice,  his  man- 
ners which  had  no  more  flexibility  than  steel  springs, 


THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE  183 

his  glances  which  expressed  servility  rather  than  gen- 
tleness, with  the  melodiously  mute  poesy  in  which 
Emmanuel's  sentiments  were  clothed.  Whatever 
we  may  say  or  do,  there  is  a  marvellous  magnetism 
whose  effects  never  deceive.  The  tone  of  the  voice, 
the  glance,  the  impassioned  gestures  of  the  man  who 
loves  may  be  imitated,  a  maiden  may  be  deceived 
by  a  clever  actor;  but,  in  order  to  succeed,  he  must 
be  the  only  one.  If  that  maiden  has  by  her  side  a 
heart  that  beats  in  unison  with  hers,  she  speedily 
recognizes  the  methods  of  expression  of  the  genuine 
passion.  At  that  moment,  Emmanuel,  like  Margue- 
rite, was  under  the  influence  of  the  clouds  which, 
ever  since  their  first  meeting,  had,  with  the  persist- 
ency of  fate,  formed  a  lowering  atmosphere  above 
their  heads  and  deprived  them  of  the  sight  of  love's 
blue  sky.  He  had  that  idolatrous  fondness  for  the 
elect  of  his  heart,  which  absence  of  hope  renders  so 
sweet  and  so  mysterious  in  its  devout  manifestations. 
Being  placed  far  below  Mademoiselle  Claes  socially, 
by  reason  of  his  lack  of  means,  and  having  only  an 
honorable  name  to  offer  her,  he  saw  no  probability 
of  being  accepted  as  her  husband.  He  had  waited 
patiently  for  some  encouragement,  which  Marguerite 
had  refused  to  give  him  under  the  fainting  eyes  of  a 
dying  woman.  Therefore,  being  equally  pure,  they 
had  not  exchanged  a  single  word  of  love.  Their 
joys  had  been  the  selfish  joys  which  the  unfortunate 
are  forced  to  enjoy  alone.  They  had  thrilled  with 
emotion  apart,  although  they  were  inflamed  by  a 
gleam  cast  by  the  same  hope;  they  seemed  to  be 


1 84  THE  QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE 

afraid  of  themselves,  feeling  that  they  were  already 
too  closely  united.  Thus  Emmanuel  trembled  when 
he  touched  the  hand  of  the  sovereign  to  whom  he 
had  dedicated  a  sanctuary  in  his  heart.  The  most 
unthinking  contact  would  have  developed  a  too  vio- 
lent passion  in  him,  he  would  have  lost  control  of 
his  unchained  senses.  But  although  they  had  ac- 
corded each  other  none  of  the  slight  yet  significant, 
the  innocent  yet  momentous,  manifestations  in  which 
the  most  timid  lovers  indulge,  they  were,  neverthe- 
less, so  firmly  installed  in  each  other's  hearts,  that 
they  both  knew  that  they  were  equally  ready  to 
make  the  greatest  sacrifices  for  each  other,  that 
being  the  only  pleasure  they  could  enjoy. 

After  Madame  Claes's  death,  their  unavowed  love 
was  stifled  beneath  the  mourning  garments.  The 
hues  of  the  sphere  in  which  they  lived  had  changed 
from  brown  to  black,  and  the  rays  of  light  were 
dimmed  by  tears.  Marguerite's  reserve  changed  to 
something  very  like  coldness,  for  she  had  to  keep 
the  oath  exacted  by  her  mother,  and,  although  she 
was  really  more  at  liberty  than  before,  she  became 
more  rigid.  Emmanuel  had  espoused  the  grief  of 
his  beloved,  realizing  that  the  slightest  word  of  love, 
the  slightest  attempt  to  press  his  suit,  would  be  a 
breach  of  the  laws  of  the  heart.  Thus  that  great 
love  was  more  closely  hidden  than  it  had  ever  been. 
Those  two  loving  hearts  still  gave  forth  the  same 
note;  but,  being  separated  by  grief  as  they  had  been 
by  the  timidities  of  youth  and  by  the  respect  due  to 
the  sufferings  of  her  who  was  now  no  more,  they 


THE  QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE  185 

still  restricted  themselves  to  the  wonderful  language 
of  the  eyes,  to  the  silent  eloquence  of  acts  of  mutual 
devotion,  to  a  constant  uniformity  of  thought,  sub- 
lime harmonies  of  youth,  the  first  steps  of  love  in  its 
infancy.  Emmanuel  came  every  morning  to  inquire 
for  Claes  and  Marguerite;  but  he  did  not  get  as  far 
as  the  dining-room  unless  he  brought  a  letter  from 
Gabriel,  or  Balthazar  requested  him  to  come  in. 
His  first  glance  at  the  girl  expressed  a  thousand 
sympathetic  thoughts:  that  he  suffered  because  of 
the  reserve  imposed  upon  him  by  the  proprieties, 
that  his  mind  had  not  left  her,  that  he  shared  her 
sadness;  in  a  word,  he  sprinkled  the  dew  of  his 
tears  on  the  heart  of  his  loved  one  with  a  glance 
poisoned  by  no  ulterior  motive.  That  excellent 
young  man  lived  so  entirely  in  the  present,  he 
clung  so  earnestly  to  a  joy  which  he  believed  to 
be  fleeting,  that  Marguerite  sometimes  reproached 
herself  for  not  generously  offering  him  her  hand  and 
saying  to  him:  "  Let  us  be  friends!" 

Pierquin  continued  his  assaults  with  the  obsti- 
nacy which  is  the  unreflecting  patience  of  fools.  He 
judged  Marguerite  according  to  the  rules  ordinarily 
employed  by  most  men  in  judging  the  character 
of  women.  He  supposed  that  the  words  marriage, 
liberty,  fortune,  which  he  had  tossed  into  her  ear, 
would  take  root  in  her  mind  and  would  cause  to 
bloom  there  a  desire  of  which  he  might  take  advan- 
tage, and  he  fancied  that  her  coldness  was  dissimu- 
lation. But,  although  he  encompassed  her  with  polite 
attentions,  he  was  unsuccessful  in  dissembling  the 


1 86  THE  QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE 

despotic  manners  of  a  man  accustomed  to  solve  the 
most  momentous  questions  in  the  lives  of  families. 
To  console  her,  he  favored  her  with  the  common- 
places familiar  to  men  of  his  profession,  who  crawl 
like  snails  over  human  sorrows  and  leave  a  trail  of 
hollow  words  which  detract  from  their  sanctity. 
His  tenderness  was  mere  wheedling.  He  laid  aside 
his  assumed  melancholy  at  the  outer  door  when  he 
put  on  his  overshoes  or  took  his  umbrella.  He  made 
use  of  the  tone  which  his  long  intimacy  with  the 
family  authorized  him  to  adopt,  as  an  instrument  to 
improve  his  position  in  their  midst  and  to  persuade 
Marguerite  to  consent  to  a  marriage  already  decided 
upon  by  the  whole  town.  Thus  the  true,  devoted, 
respectful  love  formed  a  striking  contrast  to  that 
selfish,  scheming  love.  In  each  of  the  two  men 
everything  was  homogeneous.  One  feigned  a  pas- 
sion, and  availed  himself  of  every  possible  advan- 
tage in  order  to  gain  his  end  and  marry  Marguerite; 
the  other  concealed  his  love,  and  feared  to  let  his 
devotion  appear. 

Some  little  time  after  her  mother's  death,  Margue- 
rite had  an  opportunity  to  compare,  on  the  same  day, 
the  only  two  men  whom  she  was  in  a  position  to 
judge.  Until  that  time,  the  solitude  to  which  she 
was  condemned  by  the  laws  of  society  had  made 
her  unapproachable  by  any  persons  who  might  think 
of  becoming  suitors  for  her  hand.  One  day,  after 
breakfast, — it  was  one  of  the  loveliest  mornings  in 
April, — Emmanuel  called  just  as  Monsieur  Claes 
was  going  out.     It  was   so   hard  for  Balthazar  to 


THE   QUEST  OF  THE   ABSOLUTE  187 

endure  the  desolate  aspect  of  his  house,  that  he  was 
in  the  habit  of  walking  on  the  ramparts  during  a  part 
of  every  day.  Emmanuel's  first  impulse  was  to  ac- 
company him;  he  hesitated,  seemed  to  draw  upon  a 
reserve  stock  of  courage,  looked  at  Marguerite,  and 
remained.  Marguerite  guessed  that  the  professor 
wished  to  speak  to  her,  and  suggested  to  him  that 
they  go  into  the  garden.  She  sent  Felicie  to  Martha, 
who  was  sewing  in  the  sitting-room  on  the  first  floor; 
then  she  seated  herself  on  a  bench  where  her  sister 
and  the  old  duenna  could  see  her. 

"  Monsieur  Claes  is  as  completely  absorbed  by  his 
sorrow  as  he  was  by  his  scientific  investigations," 
said  the  young  man,  watching  Balthazar  walk  slowly 
across  the  courtyard.  "  Everybody  in  town  is  sorry 
for  him;  he  walks  like  a  man  who  has  no  control  of 
his  thoughts;  he  stops  for  no  reason,  looks  without 
seeing." 

"  Every  sorrow  has  its  own  mode  of  expression," 
said  Marguerite,  restraining  her  tears.  "  What  do 
you  wish  to  say  to  me?"  she  continued,  after  a 
pause,  with  a  cold  and  dignified  air. 

"  Mademoiselle,"  rejoined  Emmanuel  in  a  voice 
trembling  with  emotion,  "  have  I  any  right  to  speak 
to  you  as  1  am  about  to  do?  Think,  I  beg  you,  that 
1  but  wish  to  be  of  service  to  you,  and  allow  me 
to  believe  that  a  teacher  may  be  so  interested  in 
the  fate  of  his  pupils  as  to  be  anxious  concerning 
their  future.  Your  brother  Gabriel  is  more  than 
fifteen  years  old,  he  is  in  the  second  class,  and  it 
certainly  is  necessary  to  arrange  his  studies  with  a 


1 88  THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE 

view  to  the  career  he  is  to  follow.  Monsieur  your 
father  is  the  one  to  decide  that  question;  but,  if  he 
should  not  think  of  it,  would  it  not  be  unfortunate 
for  Gabriel?  would  it  not,  on  the  other  hand,  be  very 
mortifying  to  monsieur  your  father  if  you  should 
remind  him  that  he  is  neglecting  his  son?  In  this 
dilemma,  would  it  not  be  well  for  you  to  consult 
your  brother  as  to  his  inclinations,  to  help  him  to 
choose  a  career  for  himself,  so  that  if,  later,  his 
father  should  choose  to  make  him  a  magistrate,  a 
government  official,  a  soldier,  Gabriel  would  already 
have  some  special  knowledge?  I  do  not  think  that 
either  you  or  Monsieur  Claes  would  wish  him  to  be 
idle." 

"Oh!  no,"  said  Marguerite,  "  I  thank  you,  Mon- 
sieur Emmanuel,  you  are  right.  My  mother,  when 
she  had  us  learn  lacemaking,  and  took  such  pains  to 
teach  us  to  draw  and  sew  and  embroider,  and  play 
the  piano,  used  often  to  say  to  us  that  no  one  knew 
what  might  happen  in  life.  Gabriel  must  have  a 
thorough  education  and  some  special  training.  But 
what  is  the  most  suitable  career  for  a  man  to 
follow?" 

"Mademoiselle,"  said  Emmanuel,  tremulous  with 
joy,  "Gabriel  has  shown  more  aptitude  for  math- 
ematics than  any  of  his  class;  if  he  chose  to  enter 
the  Ecole  Polytechnique,  I  think  that  he  could  ac- 
quire knowledge  there  that  would  be  useful  in  any 
career.  On  leaving  there,  he  would  still  be  at  liberty 
to  choose  the  one  for  which  he  felt  the  most  incli- 
nation.    You  will  have  gained  some  time  without 


THE  QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE  189 

having  prejudiced  his  future  at  all.  Men  who  gradu- 
ate from  that  school  with  honor  are  welcome  every- 
where. It  has  furnished  administrators,  diplomatists, 
scientists,  engineers,  generals,  sailors,  magistrates, 
manufacturers,  and  bankers.  So  there  is  nothing 
strange,  then,  in  a  young  man  of  great  wealth  or  of 
good  family  working  with  a  view  of  being  admitted 
there.  If  Gabriel  should  decide  to  do  it,  I  would  like 
to  ask  you — would  you  let  me?     Say  yes!" 

"  What  do  you  mean?" 

"To  be  his  private  tutor,"  he  replied,  trembling. 

Marguerite  looked  in  his  face,  took  his  hand,  and 
said : 

"Yes." 

She  paused,  then  added  in  a  tremulous  voice: 

"  How  fully  I  appreciate  the  delicacy  which  prompts 
you  to  offer  the  very  thing  that  I  can  accept  from 
you!  From  what  you  have  just  said,  I  can  see  that 
you  have,  indeed,  thought  of  us.     1  thank  you." 

Although  she  spoke  with  the  utmost  simplicity, 
Emmanuel  turned  away  his  head  to  conceal  the 
tears  which  the  joy  of  giving  pleasure  to  Marguerite 
brought  to  his  eyes. 

"I  will  bring  them  both  to  you,"  he  said,  when 
he  recovered  his  calmness  to  some  extent,  "to- 
morrow is  their  holiday." 

He  rose,  and  bowed  to  Marguerite,  who  followed 
him,  and,  when  he  was  in  the  courtyard,  he  saw  her 
still  standing  at  the  dining-room  door,  whence  she 
made  a  friendly  gesture  of  farewell. 

After  dinner,  the  notary  came  to  call  on  Monsieur 


190  THE  QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE 

Claes,  and  seated  himself  in  the  garden,  between 
his  cousin  and  Marguerite,  on  the  very  bench  on 
which  Emmanuel  had  sat. 

"My  dear  cousin,"  he  said,  "I  came  this  evening 
to  talk  business.  Forty-three  days  have  passed 
since  your  wife's  demise." 

"  1  haven't  counted  them,"  said  Balthazar,  wiping 
away  a  tear  called  forth  by  the  legal  term  demise. 

"Oh!  monsieur,"  said  Marguerite,  looking  at  the 
notary,  "  how  can  you?" 

"  But,  my  cousin,  we  notaries  are  obliged  to  keep 
account  of  stated  periods  fixed  by  law.  You  and 
your  co-heirs  are  the  ones  most  deeply  interested. 
Monsieur  Claes  has  only  minor  children,  he  is  re- 
quired to  return  an  inventory  within  the  forty-five 
days  following  his  wife's  demise,  in  order  to  estab- 
lish the  value  of  the  property  held  in  common.  Of 
course,  we  must  know  whether  it  is  favorable  or 
not,  in  order  that  we  may  decide  whether  to  accept 
it  or  to  stand  by  the  naked  rights  of  minor  children." 

Marguerite  rose. 

"  Stay,  cousin,"  said  Pierquin,  "this  is  a  matter 
that  concerns  you  as  well  as  your  father.  You  know 
how  fully  I  share  your  sorrow;  but  you  must,  none 
the  less,  give  your  attention  to  these  details  to-day; 
otherwise  you  may  all  find  yourselves  in  a  very  bad 
plight!  I  am  doing  my  duty  as  the  family  notary 
at  this  moment." 

"  He  is  right,"  said  Claes. 

"The  time  allowed  expires  in  two  days,"  con- 
tinued the   notary;    "  I    must    proceed   to-morrow, 


THE   QUEST  OF  THE   ABSOLUTE  191 

therefore,  to  prepare  the  inventory,  if  for  no  other 
reason  than  to  postpone  the  payment  of  the  succes- 
sion tax  for  which  the  treasury  will  soon  call  on  you. 
The  treasury  has  no  heart,  it  doesn't  disturb  itself 
about  sentiments,  it  fixes  its  claws  in  us  at  any  and 
all  times.  So  my  clerk  and  I  will  come  here  every 
day,  from  ten  to  four,  with  the  official  appraiser, 
Monsieur  Raparlier.  As  soon  as  we  have  finished 
in  the  town,  we  will  go  to  the  country  house.  As 
for  the  forest  of  Waignies,  we  will  talk  about  that. 
Having  settled  that  point,  let  us  pass  to  another. 
We  must  convoke  a  family  council  to  appoint  a 
substitute  guardian  to  watch  over  the  interests  of 
the  minors.  Monsieur  Conyncks  of  Bruges  is  your 
nearest  relative  to-day,  but  he  has  become  a  Bel- 
gian! You  ought  to  write  to  him  on  the  subject, 
cousin;  you  can  ascertain  whether  the  goodman  de- 
sires to  settle  in  France,  where  he  possesses  some 
fine  estates,  and  you  can  in  that  way  persuade  him 
to  come  with  his  daughter  and  settle  in  French  Flan- 
ders. If  he  refuses,  I  will  see  about  making  up  the 
council  according  to  the  degrees  of  relationship." 

"What  is  the  use  of  an  inventory?"  asked  Mar- 
guerite. 

"  To  determine  the  rights  of  the  parties  and  the 
value  of  the  property,  assets  and  debts.  When 
everything  is  appraised,  the  family  council  takes 
such  steps  as  it  deems  advisable  in  the  interest  of  the 
minor  children." 

"Pierquin,"  said  Claes,  rising  from  the  bench, 
"  proceed  to  prepare  such  documents  as  you  deem 


192  THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE 

essential  to  preserve  the  rights  of  my  children;  but 
spare  us  the  grief  of  witnessing  the  sale  of  what 
belonged  to  my  dear — " 

He  did  not  finish,  but  he  had  spoken  with  so  noble 
an  air  and  in  such  a  feeling  tone  that  Marguerite  took 
her  father's  hand  and  kissed  it. 

"  Until  to-morrow,"  said  Pierquin. 

"  Come  to  breakfast,"  said  Balthazar. 

Then  he  seemed  suddenly  to  remember,  and  cried: 

"  But  by  the  terms  of  my  marriage-contract,  which 
was  drawn  according  to  the  custom  of  Hainault,  I 
released  my  wife  from  the  obligation  to  return  an  in- 
ventory, so  that  she  might  not  be  pestered  about  it, 
and  probably  I  am  not  bound  to  do  it,  either." 

"Ah!  what  bliss!"  exclaimed  Marguerite,  "  it  would 
have  caused  us  so  much  pain." 

"  Very  well,  we  will  look  over  your  contract  to- 
morrow," said  the  notary,  somewhat  confused. 

"You  are  not  familiar  with  it,  then?"  said  Mar- 
guerite. 

That  query  ended  the  interview.  The  notary  was 
too  embarrassed  to  continue,  after  his  cousin's  ques- 
tion. 

"The  devil's  in  it!"  he  said  to  himself  in  the 
courtyard.  "  That  wool-gathering  fellow  finds  his 
memory  at  the  very  moment  when  he  needs  it  to 
prevent  precaution  being  taken  against  him.  His 
children  will  be  stripped !  that's  as  sure  as  that  two 
and  two  make  four.  The  idea  of  talking  business 
to  girls  of  nineteen  who  are  given  to  sentiment!  I 
have  cudgelled  my  brains  to  save   the  property  of 


THE  QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE  193 

those  children,  by  proceeding  in  regular  form  and 
coming  to  an  understanding  with  goodman  Co- 
nyncks. — And  there  you  are!  I  have  ruined  my- 
self in  Marguerite's  esteem,  for  she  will  ask  her 
father  why  1  wanted  to  make  an  inventory  which 
she  thinks  is  unnecessary.  And  Monsieur  Claes 
will  tell  her  that  notaries  have  a  mania  for  drawing 
documents,  that  we  are  notaries  before  we  are  kins- 
men, cousins,  or  friends;  in  fact,  he'll  tell  her  all  sorts 
of  nonsense!" 

He  closed  the  door  violently,  cursing  clients  who 
ruin  themselves  through  sentiment. 

Balthazar  was  right.  No  inventory  was  returned. 
Nothing  was  settled,  therefore,  as  to  the  father's 
position  with  reference  to  his  children.  Several 
months  passed,  bringing  no  change  in  the  condi- 
tion of  affairs  at  Claes  House.  Gabriel,  skilfully 
guided  by  Monsieur  de  Solis,  who  had  become  his 
tutor,  applied  himself  diligently  to  learning  the 
modern  languages  and  preparing  to  pass  the  neces- 
sary examination  for  admission  to  the  Ecole  Poly- 
technique.  Felicie  and  Marguerite  had  lived  in 
absolute  retirement,  although,  during  the  summer, 
they  occupied  their  father's  country  house  for  eco- 
nomical reasons.  Monsieur  Claes  attended  to  his 
affairs,  paid  his  debts  by  borrowing  a  considerable 
sum  on  his  property,  and  inspected  the  forest  of 
Waignies.  In  the  middle  of  the  year  1817,  his 
grief,  gradually  assuaged,  left  him  alone  and  de- 
fenceless against  the  monotonous  life  he  was  lead- 
ing, which  weighed  heavily  upon  him.  At  first,  he 
13 


194  THE   QUEST  OF  THE   ABSOLUTE 

struggled  bravely  against  the  science,  which  was 
gradually  waking  to  renewed  life,  and  forbade  him- 
self to  think  of  chemistry.  Then  he  began  to  think 
of  it.  But  he  would  not  devote  himself  to  it  in  prac- 
tice, only  in  theory.  That  constant  study  inflamed 
his  passion,  which  became  argumentative.  He  dis- 
cussed the  question  whether  he  had  pledged  himself 
not  to  continue  his  investigations,  and  remembered 
that  his  wife  would  not  receive  his  oath.  Although 
he  had  promised  himself  that  he  would  pursue  the 
solution  of  his  problem  no  further,  might  he  not 
change  his  mind  when  he  could  see  triumph  ahead? 
He  was  already  fifty-nine.  At  that  age,  the  idea 
which  governed  him  acquired  the  dogged  persist- 
ency with  which  monomanias  begin.  Circumstances 
also  conspired  against  his  wavering  loyalty.  The 
peace  which  then  prevailed  in  Europe  permitted  the 
circulation  of  the  scientific  discoveries  and  theories 
advanced  during  the  war  by  the  scientific  men  of  the 
different  countries,  between  whom  there  had  been 
no  correspondence  for  nearly  twenty  years.  Science 
had  progressed,  therefore.  Claes  found  that  progress 
in  chemistry  had  tended,  unknown  to  the  chemists 
themselves,  in  the  direction  of  the  object  of  his  in- 
vestigations. Men  who  had  devoted  themselves  to 
the  higher  problems  of  science  believed  as  he  did 
that  light,  heat,  electricity,  galvanism,  and  magnetism 
were  different  effects  of  one  and  the  same  cause, 
that  the  difference  between  the  substances  thereto- 
fore deemed  simple  must  be  produced  by  the  varying 
proportions  of  some  unknown  principle.     He  feared 


THE  QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE  195 

to  learn  that  another  had  discovered  the  method  of 
decomposing  metals,  and  the  constituent  principle 
of  electricity, — two  discoveries  which  would  lead  to 
the  solution  of  the  chemical  Absolute, — and  this  in- 
creased what  the  people  of  Douai  called  madness,  and 
excited  his  longing  to  a  pitch  of  frenzy  which  will  be 
understood  by  persons  passionately  addicted  to  the 
sciences,  or  those  who  have  known  the  tyranny  of 
ideas.  Thus  Balthazar  was  soon  borne  away  by  a 
passion  which  had  become  more  violent  in  proportion 
to  the  length  of  time  it  had  slept. 

Marguerite,  who  watched  closely  the  mental  phases 
through  which  her  father  was  passing,  opened  the 
parlor.  By  using  that  as  a  living-room,  she  revived 
the  painful  memories  caused  by  her  mother's  death, 
and  actually  succeeded,  by  dint  of  reawakening  her 
father's  regret,  in  postponing  his  plunge  into  the 
abyss  into  which  he  was  destined  to  fall  none  the  less. 
She  insisted  upon  going  into  society,  and  forced  Bal- 
thazar to  divert  his  thoughts  therein.  Several  avail- 
able suitors  presented  themselves  and  kept  Claes 
busy,  although  Marguerite  declared  that  she  would 
not  marry  until  she  had  reached  her  twenty-fifth 
year. 


Notwithstanding  his  daughter's  efforts,  notwith- 
standing violent  internal  conflicts,  Balthazar  secretly 
resumed  his  labors  early  in  the  winter.  It  was  diffi- 
cult, however,  to  conceal  such  occupations  from 
inquisitive  women.  One  day,  Martha  said  to  Mar- 
guerite, as  she  was  dressing  her: 

"Mademoiselle,  we  are  lost!  That  monster  of  a 
Mulquinier,  who's  the  devil  in  disguise,  for  I  never 
saw  him  make  the  sign  of  the  Cross,  has  gone  up 
into  the  garret.  Monsieur  your  father  has  embarked 
for  hell !  Heaven  grant  that  he  doesn't  kill  you  as 
he  killed  poor,  dear  madame!" 

"  It  is  not  possible,"  said  Marguerite. 

"Come  and  see  for  yourself  the  proof  of  their 
traffic." 

Mademoiselle  Claes  ran  to  the  window  and  saw  a 
faint  column  of  smoke  issuing  from  the  laboratory 
chimney. 

"  I  shall  be  twenty-one  in  a  few  months,"  she 
thought;  "  I  will  find  a  way  to  prevent  the  squander- 
ing of  our  fortune." 

In  giving  way  to  his  passion,  Balthazar  proved 
that  he  had  less  respect  for  the  interests  of  his 
children  than  he  had  had  for  his  wife.  The  barriers 
were  not  so  high,  his  conscience  was  more  elastic, 
his  passion  became  stronger.  So  he  marched  on  in 
his  career  of  glory,  of  toil,  of  hope,  and  of  misery 

(197) 


198  THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE 

with  the  frantic  earnestness  of  a  man  convinced 
beyond  the  reach  of  argument.  Sure  of  the  re- 
sult, he  began  to  work  night  and  day  with  a  zeal 
which  alarmed  his  daughters,  who  did  not  know  how 
little  harm  is  done  by  work  which  a  man  enjoys. 
As  soon  as  her  father  renewed  his  experiments, 
Marguerite  cut  off  all  luxuries  of  the  table,  devel- 
oped a  parsimony  worthy  of  a  miser,  and  was  ad- 
mirably seconded  by  Martha  and  Josette.  Claes 
paid  no  heed  to  that  measure  of  reform,  which  re- 
duced them  to  the  strict  necessaries  of  life.  In  the 
first  place,  he  ate  no  breakfast;  secondly,  he  did  not 
come  down  from  his  laboratory  until  the  very  mo- 
ment that  dinner  was  ready;  and,  lastly,  he  went  to 
bed  after  sitting  for  a  few  hours  with  his  two  daugh- 
ters, without  saying  a  word  to  them.  When  he  re- 
tired, they  wished  him  good-night,  and  he  submitted 
mechanically  to  be  kissed  on  both  cheeks.  Such 
conduct  would  have  caused  the  greatest  domestic 
unhappiness  had  not  Marguerite  been  prepared  to 
exercise  the  authority  of  a  mother,  and  fortified  by 
a  secret  passion  against  the  evils  of  such  entire 
liberty.  Pierquin  had  ceased  to  visit  his  cousins, 
feeling  sure  that  they  would  soon  be  utterly  ruined. 
Balthazar's  estates  in  the  country,  which  yielded  a 
revenue  of  sixteen  thousand  francs  and  were  worth 
about  six  hundred  thousand,  were  already  encum- 
bered by  mortgages  to  the  amount  of  three  hundred 
thousand.  Before  returning  to  his  chemistry,  Bal- 
thazar had  effected  a  large  loan.  The  income  from 
the  property  was  just  enough  to  pay  the  interest; 


THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE  199 

but  as,  with  the  natural  improvidence  of  men  de- 
voted to  a  single  idea,  he  turned  his  rents  over  to 
Marguerite  to  defray  the  household  expenses,  the 
notary  reckoned  that  three  years  would  bring  affairs 
to  a  crisis,  and  that  the  lawyers  would  devour  what 
Balthazar  had  not  already  consumed.  Marguerite's 
coldness  had  brought  Pierquin  to  a  state  of  indif- 
ference that  was  almost  hostility.  To  justify  him- 
self in  renouncing  his  suit  for  his  cousin's  hand  if 
she  became  too  poor,  he  said  of  the  family,  with  a 
compassionate  air: 

"Those  poor  people  are  ruined!  I  did  all  that  I 
could  to  save  them;  but  what  can  you  expect? 
Mademoiselle  Claes  refused  to  resort  to  any  of  the 
lawful  expedients  which  would  have  kept  them  from 
poverty." 

Appointed  principal  of  the  college  at  Douai  through 
his  uncle's  influence,  Emmanuel,  whose  transcendent 
merits  made  him  entirely  worthy  of  that  post,  came 
every  evening  to  see  the  two  girls,  who  summoned 
the  duenna  to  sit  with  them  as  soon  as  their  father 
retired.  It  was  never  long  before  they  heard  young 
de  Solis's  gentle  knock.  He  had  become  himself 
during  the  last  three  months,  encouraged  by  the 
charming,  unspoken  gratitude  with  which  Margue- 
rite accepted  his  attentions.  The  rays  from  his 
soul,  pure  as  a  diamond,  shone  unclouded,  and 
Marguerite  was  able  to  estimate  their  strength, 
their  duration,  when  she  saw  how  inexhaustible 
their  source  was.  She  admired  the  flowers  as  they 
bloomed  one  by  one,  after  having  inhaled  their  sweet 


200  THE  QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE 

perfume  in  anticipation.  Every  day,  Emmanuel  real- 
ized some  one  of  Marguerite's  hopes,  and  caused  new 
lights  to  glow  in  the  enchanted  regions  of  love, — lights 
which  drove  away  the  clouds,  made  their  sky  serene 
once  more,  and  colored  the  fruitful  treasures  there- 
tofore buried  in  darkness.  Being  more  at  his  ease, 
Emmanuel  was  able  to  display  the  charms  of  his 
heart,  until  then  modestly  concealed:  the  overflow- 
ing light-heartedness  of  youth,  the  simplicity  born 
of  a  life  devoted  to  study,  and  the  treasures  of  a 
refined  mind  which  the  world  had  not  poisoned, — 
all  the  innocent  gayety  which  goes  so  well  with 
loving  youth.  His  heart  and  Marguerite's  under- 
stood each  other  better;  they  searched  together  the 
inmost  recesses  of  their  minds  and  found  the  same 
thoughts  there:  pearls  of  equal  brilliancy,  sweet  and 
refreshing  melodies  like  those  which  are  heard  under 
the  sea  and  are  said  to  fascinate  divers!  They 
became  thoroughly  acquainted  with  each  other  by 
that  exchange  of  confidences,  by  that  mutual  curi- 
osity, which  in  both  of  them  assumed  the  most 
attractive  forms  of  sentiment.  It  was  all  done  with- 
out false  shame,  but  not  without  coquetry  on  both 
sides. 

The  two  hours  which  Emmanuel  passed  every 
evening  with  the  two  girls  and  Martha  enabled 
Marguerite  to  endure  the  life  of  suffering  and  resig- 
nation upon  which  she  had  entered.  That  ingenu- 
ous, increasing  love  was  her  support.  Emmanuel 
displayed  in  his  demonstrations  of  affection  that 
natural    charm  which  is  so  seductive,  that  gentle, 


THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE  201 

refined  mind  which  varies  the  monotony  of  senti- 
ment, as  the  facets  relieve  the  monotony  of  a 
precious  stone  by  causing  it  to  imitate  all  kinds  of 
fire;  fascinating  manoeuvres,  the  secret  of  which 
belongs  to  loving  hearts,  and  which  make  women 
loyal  to  the  artist's  hand  beneath  which  forms  are 
born  again  always  new,  to  the  voice  which  never 
repeats  a  phrase  without  revivifying  it  with  new 
modulations.  Love  is  not  a  sentiment  simply,  it 
is  an  art  as  well.  Some  trivial  remark,  a  precau- 
tion, a  mere  nothing,  reveals  to  a  woman  the  great 
and  sublime  artist  who  can  touch  her  heart  with- 
out withering  it.  The  further  Emmanuel  went, 
the  more  charming  were  the  expressions  of  his 
love. 

"  I  have  anticipated  Pierquin,"  he  said,  one  even- 
ing; "he  is  coming  to  tell  you  some  bad  news,  but  I 
preferred  to  tell  you  myself.  Your  father  has  sold 
your  forest  to  speculators,  who  have  sold  it  again  in 
lots;  the  trees  are  already  cut,  and  all  the  timber 
taken  away.  Monsieur  Claes  received  three  hundred 
thousand  francs  in  cash,  which  he  has  used  towards 
paying  his  debts  in  Paris;  and  in  order  to  pay  them 
in  full  he  has  had  to  make  an  assignment  of  one  hun- 
dred thousand  of  the  three  hundred  thousand  still  to 
be  paid  by  the  purchasers." 

Pierquin  entered. 

"Well,  my  dear  cousin,"  he  said,  "you  are  ruined 
at  last!  I  told  you  it  would  be  so,  but  you  refused 
to  listen  to  me.  Your  father  has  a  good  appetite. 
He  has  swallowed  your  forest  at  one  mouthful.   Your 


202  THE   QUEST  OF  THE   ABSOLUTE 

substitute  guardian,  Monsieur  Conyncks,  is  at  Am- 
sterdam, winding  up  his  affairs  there,  and  Monsieur 
Claes  seized  the  opportunity  to  strike  his  blow.  It 
is  not  right.  I  have  just  written  to  Goodman  Co- 
nyncks; but  by  the  time  he  arrives  everything  will 
be  gone.  You  will  be  compelled  to  proceed  against 
your  father;  the  suit  will  not  be  a  long  one,  but  it 
will  be  a  dishonorable  suit,  and  Monsieur  Conyncks 
cannot  avoid  bringing  it;  the  law  requires  it.  This 
is  the  result  of  your  obstinacy!  Do  you  realize  now 
how  prudent  I  was,  how  devoted  to  your  interests?" 

"  1  have  some  good  news  for  you,  mademoiselle," 
said  young  de  Solis  in  his  sweet  voice:  "Gabriel  is 
admitted  to  the  Ecole  Polytechnique.  The  obstacles 
which  stood  in  the  way  of  his  admission  have  been 
removed." 

Marguerite  thanked  her  friend,  with  a  smile,  and 
said: 

"  My  savings  will  come  in  handily. — Martha,  we 
will  attend  to  Gabriel's  outfit. — Dear  Felicie,  we 
shall  have  to  work  very  hard,"  she  said,  kissing 
her  sister  on  the  forehead. 

"  To-morrow,  he  will  come  home  for  ten  days,  he 
must  be  at  Paris  on  November  15th." 

"  My  cousin  Gabriel  is  taking  a  wise  course,"  said 
the  notary,  eying  the  principal,  "he  will  need  to 
make  a  fortune  for  himself.  But,  my  dear  cousin, 
the  pressing  duty  now  is  to  save  the  honor  of  the 
family;  will  you  listen  to  me  to-day?" 

"  No,"  she  said,  "if  it  is  still  a  matter  of  marry- 
ing." 


THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE  203 

"  But  what  are  you  going  to  do?" 

"  I,  cousin? — nothing." 

"You  are  of  age,  you  know." 

"  I  shall  be  in  a  few  days.  Have  you  any  plan  to 
propose  by  which  our  interests  can  be  reconciled 
with  what  we  owe  to  our  father  and  to  the  honor 
of  the  family?" 

"We  can  do  nothing  without  your  uncle,  cousin. 
That  being  so,  I  will  come  again  when  he  has  re- 
turned." 

"Adieu,  monsieur,"  said  Marguerite. 

"  The  poorer  she  grows,  the  more  she  plays  the 
proud  minx,"  thought  the  notary. — "  Adieu,  ma- 
demoiselle," he  said,  aloud. — "Monsieur  le  provi- 
seur,  your  most  obedient  servant." 

And  he  went  away  without  paying  any  heed  to 
Felicie  or  Martha. 

"  I  have  been  studying  the  Code  for  two  days, 
and  I  have  consulted  an  old  advocate,  a  friend  of  my 
uncle,"  said  Emmanuel  in  a  trembling  voice.  "If 
you  authorize  me  to  do  it,  I  will  start  for  Amsterdam 
to-morrow.     Listen,  dear  Marguerite — " 

It  was  the  first  time  he  had  addressed  her  so;  she 
thanked  him  with  a  melting  glance,  a  smile,  and  an 
inclination  of  the  head.  He  paused,  glancing  at 
Felicie  and  Martha. 

"Speak  before  my  sister,"  said  Marguerite.  "She 
does  not  need  this  discussion  to  help  her  to  be  re- 
signed to  our  life  of  privation  and  toil,  she  is  so 
sweet  and  brave!  but  she  ought  to  know  how  neces- 
sary courage  is  to  us." 


204  THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE 

The  two  sisters  clasped  hands  and  kissed,  as  if  to 
exchange  a  fresh  pledge  of  their  union  in  the  face  of 
unhappiness. 

"  Leave  us,  Martha." 

"  Dear  Marguerite,"  continued  Emmanuel,  mani- 
festing in  his  tone  the  joy  he  felt  in  having  earned 
the  slightest  privileges  of  affection,  "  I  have  pro- 
cured the  names  and  residences  of  the  purchasers 
who  owe  the  two  hundred  thousand  francs  still  un- 
paid of  the  price  of  the  felled  wood.  To-morrow,  if 
you  consent,  a  solicitor  acting  in  the  name  of  Mon- 
sieur Conyncks,  who  will  not  disavow  his  agency, 
will  place  protests  in  their  hands.  In  six  days  your 
granduncle  will  have  returned,  he  will  convoke  a 
family  council  and  obtain  the  emancipation  of  Ga- 
briel, who  is  eighteen.  You  and  your  brother,  being 
entitled  to  enjoy  your  rights,  will  then  demand  your 
share  in  the  price  of  the  wood.  Monsieur  Claes 
cannot  refuse  you  the  two  hundred  thousand  francs 
stopped  in  the  purchasers'  hands  by  the  protests;  as 
for  the  other  hundred  thousand  which  will  still  be 
due  you,  you  will  obtain  a  mortgage  on  the  house  in 
which  you  live.  Monsieur  Conyncks  will  demand 
security  for  the  three  hundred  thousand  francs  due 
to  Mademoiselle  Felicie  and  Jean.  Under  those  cir- 
cumstances, your  father  will  be  compelled  to  place 
further  mortgages  on  his  property  in  the  plain  of  Or- 
chies,  which  is  already  encumbered  to  the  amount  of 
three  hundred  thousand  francs.  The  law  gives  a 
retroactive  priority  to  notes  taken  in  the  interest  of 
minors;  so  that  everything  will  be  saved.   Thereafter 


THE  QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE  205 

Monsieur  Claes's  hands  will  be  tied,  for  your  estates 
are  inalienable;  he  will  be  able  to  borrow  nothing  on 
his  own,  which  will  be  pledged  beyond  their  value; 
everything  will  be  done  in  the  family,  without  scan- 
dal and  without  litigation.  Your  father  will  be 
obliged  to  proceed  prudently  with  his  experiments, 
even  if  he  does  not  cease  them  altogether." 

"  True,"  said  Marguerite,  "  but  where  will  our 
income  be?  The  hundred  thousand  francs  secured 
by  mortgage  of  this  house  will  bring  us  nothing, 
because  we  live  here.  The  revenues  of  the  prop- 
erty my  father  owns  in  the  plain  of  Orchies  will 
go  to  pay  the  interest  on  the  three  hundred  thou- 
sand francs  owed  to  strangers;  what  are  we  to  live 
on?" 

"  In  the  first  place,"  said  Emmanuel,  "  by  invest- 
ing the  fifty  thousand  francs  coming  to  Gabriel  on 
account  of  his  share,  in  the  public  funds,  you  will 
have,  at  the  present  price,  more  than  four  thousand 
francs  a  year,  which  will  pay  for  his  board  and 
tuition  in  Paris.  Gabriel  cannot  dispose  of  his  in- 
terest in  the  mortgage  on  his  father's  house,  or  of 
the  principal  sum  invested  for  him;  so  you  need  not 
fear  that  he  will  squander  a  sou,  and  you  will  have 
one  less  burden  to  carry.  Then  you  will  still  have  a 
hundred  and  fifty  thousand  francs  for  yourselves, 
will  you  not?" 

"My  father  will  ask  me  for  it,"  she  said  in  de- 
spair, "and  I  shall  not  have  the  heart  to  refuse 
him." 

"  Very  well,  dear  Marguerite,  you  can  still  save 


206  THE  QUEST  OF  THE   ABSOLUTE 

it  by  putting  it  out  of  your  hands.  Invest  it  in  the 
Funds  in  your  brother's  name.  That  sum  will  give 
you  twelve  or  thirteen  thousand  francs  a  year, 
which  will  support  you.  As  emancipated  minors 
cannot  dispose  of  their  property  without  the  consent 
of  the  family  council,  you  will  thus  make  sure  of 
three  years  of  tranquillity.  By  that  time,  your 
father  will  probably  have  solved  his  problem  or 
abandoned  it;  Gabriel,  having  come  of  age,  will 
restore  the  money  to  you  in  order  to  settle  accounts 
among  you  four." 

Marguerite  requested  him  to  explain  once  more  the 
provisions  of  the  law,  which  she  did  not  understand 
at  first.  Certainly,  it  was  a  novel  scene,  the  two 
lovers  studying  the  Code,  with  which  Emmanuel 
had  provided  himself  in  order  to  instruct  his  beloved 
concerning  the  laws  relating  to  the  property  of 
minors;  she  soon  grasped  the  gist  of  it,  thanks  to 
the  natural  penetration  of  women,  made  still  keener 
by  love. 

On  the  following  day,  Gabriel  returned  to  his 
father's  house.  When  Monsieur  de  Solis  brought  him 
back  to  Balthazar  and  informed  him  of  his  admission 
to  the  Ecole  Polytechnique,  the  father  thanked  him 
with  a  wave  of  his  hand,  and  said  : 

"I  am  very  glad;  Gabriel  will  be  a  scientist!" 

"  O  my  dear  brother,"  said  Marguerite,  when 
Balthazar  had  returned  to  his  laboratory,  "work 
hard,  and  do  not  spend  money  extravagantly!  Do 
whatever  is  necessary,  but  be  economical.  When 
you  have  leave  in  Paris,  call  upon  our  relatives  and 


THE   QUEST  OF  THE   ABSOLUTE  207 

friends,  so  that  you  will  not  contract  any  of  the  tastes 
which  ruin  young  men.  Your  fees  amount  to  nearly 
three  thousand  francs,  you  will  have  a  thousand  for 
pocket-money,  and  it  ought  to  be  enough." 

"  I  will  answer  for  him,"  said  Emmanuel  de  Solis, 
placing  his  hand  upon  his  pupil's  shoulder. 


* 


A  month  later,  Monsieur  Conyncks,  acting  in  con- 
cert with  Marguerite,  had  obtained  from  Claes  all  the 
desired  security.  The  plans  so  wisely  formed  by 
Emmanuel  de  Solis  were  fully  approved  and  carried 
out.  When  confronted  with  the  law,  and  dealing 
with  his  cousin,  whose  easily  alarmed  probity  was 
unwilling  to  compromise  questions  of  honor,  Bal- 
thazar, ashamed  of  the  sale  which  he  consented  to 
at  a  time  when  he  was  harassed  by  his  creditors, 
agreed  to  everything  that  was  demanded  of  him. 
Convinced  of  his  ability  to  repair  the  wrong  he  had 
almost  involuntarily  done  his  children,  he  signed  the 
documents  with  the  preoccupied  air  of  a  scholar. 
He  had  become  utterly  improvident,  after  the  manner 
of  the  negro  who  sells  his  wife  for  a  drop  of  brandy 
in  the  morning,  and  weeps  for  her  at  night.  He  did 
not  look  forward  even  to  the  immediate  future,  he 
did  not  ask  himself  what  resources  he  would  have 
when  he  had  spent  his  last  sou;  he  pursued  his 
labors,  continued  his  purchases,  not  realizing  that  he 
held  only  the  bare  title  of  his  house  and  of  his  other 
property,  and  that  it  would  be  impossible  for  him, 
thanks  to  the  strictness  of  the  law,  to  raise  a  sou  on 
property  of  which  he  was  in  a  certain  sense  the  legal 
custodian. 

The  year  1818  passed  without  catastrophe.  The 
two  girls  paid  the  necessary  expenses  of  Jean's 
14  (209) 


2IO  THE  QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE 

education,  and  defrayed  all  the  household  expenses 
with  the  eighteen  thousand  francs  yielded  by  the 
funds  invested  in  Gabriel's  name,  the  half-yearly 
payments  being  promptly  forwarded  to  them  by 
their  brother.  Monsieur  de  Solis  lost  his  uncle  in 
December  of  that  year.  One  morning,  Marguerite 
learned  from  Martha  that  her  father  had  sold  his 
collection  of  tulips,  the  furniture  of  the  house  on  the 
street,  and  all  the  silver  plate.  She  was  obliged  to 
repurchase  the  covers  necessary  for  the  table,  and 
had  them  marked  with  her  cipher.  Hitherto  she  had 
held  her  peace  as  to  Balthazar's  depredations;  but 
that  evening,  after  dinner,  she  asked  Felicie  to  leave 
her  alone  with  her  father,  and  when  he  had  taken 
his  seat  as  usual  by  the  fireplace  in  the  parlor,  she 
said  to  him  : 

"My  dear  father,  you  have  the  right  to  sell  every- 
thing here,  even  your  children.  Everyone  in  this 
house  will  obey  you  without  a  murmur;  but  I  am 
obliged  to  remind  you  that  we  are  without  money, 
that  we  have  hardly  enough  to  live  on  this  year,  and 
that  Felicie  and  1  will  have  to  work  night  and  day 
to  pay  for  Jean's  schooling  with  the  price  of  a  lace 
dress  we  have  undertaken  to  make.  I  implore  you, 
dear  father,  to  give  up  your  work." 

"  You  are  right,  my  child;  in  six  weeks  it  will  all 
be  over!  1  shall  have  found  the  Absolute,  or  the 
Absolute  is  not  to  be  found.  You  will  all  be  worth 
millions — " 

"  Meanwhile,  leave  us  a  crust  of  bread  !"  rejoined 
Marguerite. 


THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE  211 

"  Do  you  mean  to  say  there  is  no  bread  here?" 
said  Claes  in  dismay;  "no  bread  in  the  house  of  a 
Claes!     What  about  all  our  property?" 

"You  have  cut  down  the  forest  of  Waignies.  The 
ground  is  not  cleared  yet,  and  cannot  yield  anything. 
As  for  your  farms  at  Orchies,  the  rents  are  not  suf- 
ficient to  pay  the  interest  on  the  money  you  have 
borrowed." 

"What  are  we  living  on,  then?"  he  asked. 

Marguerite  pointed  to  the  needle,  and  added: 

"Gabriel's  income  is  a  help,  but  it  isn't  enough. 
I  shall  succeed  in  making  both  ends  meet,  if  you  do 
not  crush  me  with  bills  that  I  don't  expect;  you  tell 
me  nothing  of  your  purchases  in  town.  When  I 
think  that  I  have  enough  for  my  quarter's  bills,  and 
my  little  arrangements  are  all  made,  there  comes  a 
bill  for  soda,  potash,  zinc,  sulphur,  Heaven  knows 
what!" 

"  My  dear  child,  six  weeks  more  of  patience;  after 
that  I  will  behave  wisely.  And  you  will  see  mar- 
vellous things,  my  little  Marguerite." 

"It  is  high  time  that  you  should  think  of  your 
affairs.  You  have  sold  everything:  pictures,  tulips, 
silverware,  we  have  nothing  left;  at  least,  do  not 
contract  any  new  debts." 

"  I  don't  intend  to  contract  any  more,"  said  the 
old  man. 

"More!"  she  cried.  "Do  you  mean  that  there 
are  some?" 

"A  mere  nothing,  trifles,"  he  replied,  lowering 
his  eyes  and  blushing. 


212  THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE 

For  the  first  time,  Marguerite  was  humiliated  by 
her  father's  abasement,  and  suffered  so  keenly  that 
she  dared  not  question  him. — A  month  after  that 
scene,  a  banker  of  the  town  came  to  the  house  to 
collect  a  note  for  ten  thousand  francs,  signed  by 
Claes.  When  Marguerite  asked  the  banker  to  wait 
until  night,  expressing  her  regret  that  she  had  not 
been  notified  of  the  payment,  he  informed  her  that 
the  house  of  Protez  and  Chiffreville  had  nine 
others  for  the  same  amount,  maturing  from  month 
to  month. 

"  It  is  all  over!"  cried  Marguerite,  "the  hour  has 
come." 

She  sent  for  her  father,  and  strode  up  and  down 
the  parlor,  talking  to  herself: 

"I  must  find  a  hundred  thousand  francs,  or  see 
our  father  in  prison!     What  shall  I  do?" 

Balthazar  did  not  come  down.  Weary  of  waiting, 
Marguerite  went  up  to  the  laboratory.  As  she  en- 
tered, she  saw  her  father  in  the  centre  of  an  enor- 
mous room,  brightly  lighted,  filled  with  machines 
and  dusty  glass  implements;  here  and  there  were 
books,  tables  covered  with  ticketed  and  numbered 
substances.  On  all  sides,  the  confusion  consequent 
upon  the  scientist's  preoccupation  jostled  rudely 
against  the  Flemish  habit  of  neatness.  That  ag- 
gregation of  retorts,  crucibles,  metals,  fantastically 
colored  crystals,  specimens  hanging  on  the  walls  or 
tossed  upon  the  furnaces,  was  dominated  by  the 
figure  of  Balthazar  Claes,  who,  without  a  coat,  bare- 
armed  like  a  common  mechanic,  displayed  a  breast 


THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE  21  3 

covered  with  hair  as  white  as  that  on  his  head.  His 
eyes  were  fastened  in  a  ghastly  stare  upon  a  pneu- 
matic machine.  The  receiver  of  the  machine  was 
capped  by  a  lens  formed  by  double  convex  glasses, 
the  space  between  them  being  filled  with  alcohol; 
and  in  that  lens  were  concentrated  the  rays  of  the 
sun  which  entered  the  room  through  one  portion  of 
the  rose-window  of  the  garret.  The  receiver,  the  disc 
of  which  was  insulated,  was  connected  with  the 
wires  of  an  immense  Voltaic  battery.  Lemulquinier, 
who  was  engaged  in  turning  the  disc,  the  machine 
being  mounted  on  a  movable  axis,  so  as  to  keep  the 
lens  always  perpendicular  to  the  sun's  rays,  rose, 
his  face  black  with  dust,  and  said: 

"Oh!  mademoiselle,  don't  come  near!" 

The  sight  of  her  father,  who,  as  he  almost  knelt 
by  his  machine,  received  the  sun's  rays  full  upon 
his  face,  and  whose  sparse  locks  resembled  silver 
threads,  his  skull  humped,  his  features  distorted  by 
horrible  suspense,  the  oddity  of  the  objects  by  which 
he  was  surrounded,  the  obscurity  of  some  portions 
of  that  vast  garret  from  which  strange  machines 
peered  forth — all  these  things  contributed  to  make 
a  deep  impression  on  Marguerite,  who  said  to  her- 
self in  dire  dismay: 

"My  father  is  mad!" 

She  went  to  him  and  whispered: 

"Send  Lemulquinier  away." 

"No,  no,  my  child,  I  need  him;  I  am  awaiting 
the  result  of  a  fine  experiment  of  which  nobody  else 
has  ever  thought.     For  three  days  we  have  been 


214  THE  QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE 

waiting  for  a  ray  of  sunshine.  I  have  a  method  of 
subjecting  metals,  in  a  perfect  vacuum,  to  the  con- 
centrated solar  rays  and  to  electric  currents.  In  a 
moment,  you  see,  the  most  powerful  force  which 
a  chemist  can  command  will  manifest  itself,  and  I 
alone — " 

"Oh,  father,  instead  of  vaporizing  metals,  you 
would  do  well  to  keep  them  to  pay  your  notes  of 
hand." 

"Wait,  wait!" 

"Monsieur  Mersktus  has  been  here,  father:  he 
must  have  ten  thousand  francs  at  four  o'clock." 

"Yes,  yes,  in  a  moment.  I  signed  those  little 
notes  for  this  month,  I  know.  I  thought  I  should 
have  found  the  Absolute.  My  God !  if  I  had  the 
July  sun,  my  experiment  would  be  done!" 

He  ran  his  hands  through  his  hair,  sat  down  on  a 
wretched  cane-seated  chair,  and  tears  gathered  in 
his  eyes. 

"Monsieur  is  right!"  said  Lemulquinier.  "  It's  all 
the  fault  of  that  rascal  of  a  sun;  he's  too  weak,  the 
coward,  the  sluggard  !" 

Neither  the  master  nor  the  servant  paid  any  fur- 
ther attention  to   Marguerite. 

"  Leave  us,  Mulquinier,"  she  said. 

"Ah!  I  am  trying  a  new  experiment!"  cried 
Claes. 

"Forget  your  experiments,  father,"  said  his 
daughter,  when  they  were  alone;  "  you  have  a  hun- 
dred thousand  francs  to  pay,  and  we  haven't  a  sou. 
Leave  your  laboratory,  your  honor  is  at  stake  to-day. 


THE  QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE  21  5 

What  will  become  of  you  when  you  are  in  prison? 
Will  you  sully  your  white  hairs  and  the  name  of 
Claes  by  the  disgrace  of  bankruptcy?  I  will  protest 
against  it.  1  shall  have  the  strength  to  combat  your 
madness,  and  it  would  be  frightful  to  see  you  with- 
out bread  in  your  last  days.  Open  your  eyes  to  our 
position,  and  listen  to  reason  at  last,  I  beseech  you!" 

"  Madness!"  cried  Balthazar,  drawing  himself  up, 
fixing  his  gleaming  eyes  upon  his  daughter,  and 
folding  his  arms  across  his  breast  as  he  repeated  the 
word  madness  so  majestically  that  Marguerite  trem- 
bled. "Ah!  your  mother  would  never  have  said 
that  to  me!"  he  continued;  "  she  realized  the  impor- 
tance of  my  investigations,  she  studied  a  science  in 
order  to  understand  me,  she  knew  that  1  was  work- 
ing for  mankind,  that  there  is  nothing  selfish  or 
sordid  in  me.  The  affection  of  the  loving  wife  is,  I 
see,  superior  to  filial  affection.  Yes,  love  is  the  most 
beautiful  of  all  sentiments!  Listen  to  reason!"  he 
added,  striking  his  breast,  "do  I  lack  reason?  am  I 
not  myself?  We  are  poor,  my  child,  and  it  is  my 
will.  I  am  your  father;  obey  me.  I  will  make  you 
rich  when  I  choose.  Your  fortune;  why,  it  is  a  mere 
bagatelle.  When  I  have  found  a  substance  that 
will  dissolve  carbon,  I  will  fill  your  parlor  with  dia- 
monds; and  that  is  a  trifle  in  comparison  with  what 
1  am  seeking.  You  can  well  afford  to  wait  when  I 
am  consuming  myself  in  superhuman  efforts." 

"  Father,  1  have  no  right  to  ask  you  to  account 
for  the  four  millions  you  have  swallowed  up  with- 
out result  in  this  garret.     I  will  say  nothing  of  my 


2l6  THE   QUEST  OF  THE   ABSOLUTE 

mother,  whom  you  killed.  If  I  had  a  husband,  I 
should  undoubtedly  love  him  as  dearly  as  my  mother 
loved  you,  and  I  should  be  ready  to  sacrifice  every- 
thing to  him  as  she  sacrificed  everything  to  you.  I 
followed  her  orders  by  giving  myself  to  you  abso- 
lutely, I  have  proved  it  to  you  by  not  marrying  in 
order  not  to  compel  you  to  render  an  account  of  your 
guardianship.  Let  us  leave  the  past,  and  think 
of  the  present.  I  have  come  here  to  put  before  you 
the  necessity  which  you  yourself  have  created.  We 
must  have  money  to  pay  your  notes,  do  you  under- 
stand? There  is  nothing  here  to  be  seized  except  the 
portrait  of  our  ancestor  Van  Claes.  I  come,  there- 
fore, in  the  name  of  my  mother,  who  was  too  weak 
to  defend  her  children  against  their  father,  and  who 
bade  me  resist  you,  I  come  in  the  name  of  my 
brothers  and  sister,  I  come,  father,  in  the  name  of 
all  the  Claes,  to  order  you  to  cease  your  experi- 
ments, and  to  make  a  fortune  for  yourself  before 
you  continue  them.  If  you  arm  yourself  with  your 
paternal  authority,  which  only  makes  itself  felt  to 
kill  us,  I  have  on  my  side  your  ancestors  and  honor, 
which  speak  louder  than  chemistry.  Families  take 
precedence  of  science.  I  have  been  too  good  a 
daughter  to  you!" 

"  And  now  you  mean  to  be  my  executioner!"  he 
said  in  a  faint  voice. 

Marguerite  fled  to  avoid  laying  aside  the  role  she 
had  assumed;  she  fancied  that  she  could  hear  her 
mother's  voice  saying  to  her:  "  Do  not  vex  your 
father  too  much;  love  him  dearly!" 


THE   QUEST  OF  THE   ABSOLUTE  21 7 

"Mademoiselle  did  a  fine  piece  of  work  up  yon- 
der!" said  Lemulquinier,  when  he  came  down  to 
the  kitchen  for  breakfast.  "  We  were  just  going 
to  put  our  hands  on  the  secret;  all  we  needed  was 
just  a  thread  of  July  sunshine;  for  monsieur — ah! 
what  a  man! — is  in  the  good  Lord's  shoes,  you  might 
say!  We  lacked  no  more  than  that,"  he  said  to 
Josette,  snapping  the  nail  of  his  right  thumb  against 
his  teeth,  "of  finding  the  universal  element.  Slap, 
bang!  she  must  come  and  begin  to  cry  out  about 
some  wretched  notes." 

"  Very  well,  pay  the  notes  with  your  wages!" 
said  Martha. 

"  Isn't  there  any  butter  to  put  on  my  bread?" 
Lemulquinier  asked  Josette. 

"Where's  the  money  to  buy  it?"  retorted  the 
cook,  sharply.  "  Why,  you  old  monster,  if  you  make 
gold  in  your  devil's  kitchen,  why  don't  you  make  a 
little  butter?  that  wouldn't  be  so  hard  to  do,  and 
you  could  sell  it  at  the  market  for  something  to  keep 
the  kettle  boiling.  We  people  eat  dry  bread  !  The 
two  young  ladies  get  along  with  bread  and  nuts; 
do  you  expect  to  be  fed  better  than  your  masters, 
pray?  Mademoiselle  says  that  we  can't  spend  but 
a  hundred  francs  a  month  for  the  whole  house;  we 
don't  cook  but  one  dinner  now.  If  you  want  luxu- 
ries, you  have  your  furnaces  upstairs  where  you 
fricassee  pearls,  and  nobody  talks  of  anything  else 
at  market.  Make  some  roast  chickens,  why  don't 
you?" 

Lemulquinier  took  his  bread  and  left  the  room. 


2l8  THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE 

"  He's  going  to  buy  something  with  his  own 
money,"  said  Martha;  "  all  the  better,  it  will  be  so 
much  saved.     What  a  miser  he  is,  the  Turk!" 

"We  must  capture  him  by  starvation,"  said 
Josette.  "  It's  a  week  now  since  he's  done  a  stroke 
of  work;  he's  always  up  in  the  garret  and  I  do  his 
work  for  him;  he  can  well  afford  to  pay  me  for  it  by 
treating  us  to  a  few  herrings;  let  him  bring  them 
and  see  how  quick  I'll  take  them  away  from  him!" 

"Ah!"  said  Martha,  "I  hear  Mademoiselle  Mar- 
guerite crying.  Her  old  devil  of  a  father  will  swal- 
low the  whole  house  without  saying  a  Christian 
word,  the  sorcerer!  In  my  country,  they'd  have 
burned  him  alive;  but  here  there's  no  more  religion 
than  there  is  among  the  Moors  in  Africa." 

Mademoiselle  Claes  could  hardly  stifle  her  sobs  as 
she  hurried  through  the  gallery.  She  reached  her 
room,  took  out  her  mother's  letter,  and  read  what 
follows: 

"  If  God  permits,  my  child,  my  spirit  will  be  in  your  heart 
when  you  read  these  lines,  the  last  I  shall  ever  write !  they 
are  full  of  love  for  my  dear  children,  whom  I  leave  behind  at 
the  mercy  of  a  demon  I  have  been  unable  to  resist.  He  will 
have  consumed  your  bread,  as  he  has  devoured  my  life,  yes, 
and  my  love  !  You  know,  my  beloved,  whether  I  loved  your 
father !  I  shall  die  loving  him  less,  because  I  am  taking 
measures  against  him  which  I  would  not  have  confessed  in 
my  lifetime.  Yes,  I  shall  have  kept  in  my  coffin  one  last 
resource  for  the  day  when  you  have  reached  the  utmost  limit 
of  misfortune.  If  he  has  reduced  you  to  destitution,  or  if  it 
is  necessary  to  save  your  honor,  my  child,  you  will  find  in  the 
hands  of  Monsieur  de  Solis,  if  he  is  living,  if  not,  in  the  hands 


THE  QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE  219 

of  his  nephew,  our  dear  Emmanuel,  about  one  hundred  and 
sixty  thousand  francs,  which  will  enable  you  to  live.  If  noth- 
ing has  availed  to  overcome  his  passion,  if  his  children  prove 
not  to  be  a  stronger  barrier  in  his  path  than  my  happiness  lias 
been,  and  do  not  check  him  in  his  criminal  career,  leave  your 
father — for  you  must  live!  I  could  not  desert  him,  I  owed 
myself  to  him.  Do  you,  Marguerite,  save  the  family!  1 
give  you  absolution  for  whatever  you  do  in  defence  of  Gabriel, 
Jean,  and  Felicie.  Have  courage,  be  the  guardian  angel  of  the 
Claes !  Be  firm  ;  I  dare  not  say  be  pitiless,  but,  in  order  to 
repair  the  damage  already  done,  you  must  preserve  some  for- 
tune, and  you  must  look  upon  yourself  as  being  already  re- 
duced to  want,  for  nothing  will  check  the  fury  of  the  passion 
which  has  robbed  me  of  everything.  So,  my  daughter,  you 
will  prove  the  greatness  of  your  heart  by  forgetting  your 
heart;  your  dissimulation,  if  you  must  lie  to  your  father, 
will  be  glorious;  your  acts,  however  blameworthy  they  may 
seem,  will  be  truly  heroic,  performed  with  the  purpose  of  pro- 
tecting the  family.  The  virtuous  Monsieur  de  Solis  has  given 
me  his  assurance  to  that  effect,  and  never  was  conscience  purer 
or  more  clear-sighted  than  his.  I  should  not  have  had  the 
strength  to  say  this  to  you,  even  on  my  death-bed.  In  this 
terrible  conflict,  be  always  respectful  and  kind  !  Resist  even 
while  you  love,  refuse  gently.  I  shall  have  shed  tears  un- 
known to  all,  I  shall  have  had  sorrows  which  will  not  come  to 
light  until  after  my  death. — Kiss  my  dear  children  for  me  at 
the  moment  when  you  thus  become  their  shield  and  protec- 
tion.    May  God  and  the  saints  be  with  you  ! 

"JOSEPHINE." 

To  the  letter  was  appended  an  acknowledgment 
from  Messieurs  de  Solis,  uncle  and  nephew,  who 
agreed  to  hand  the  sum  deposited  with  them  by 
Madame  Claes  to  that  one  of  her  children  who 
should  present  the  document. 

"Martha,"  cried  Marguerite  to  the  duenna,  who 


220  THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE 

promptly  answered  her  call,  "go  to  Monsieur  Em- 
manuel and  request  him  to  call  upon  me. — Noble 
and  reserved  creature!  he  has  never  mentioned  this 
to  me,"  she  thought,  "to  me  whose  burdens  and 
sorrows  have  become  his!" 

Emmanuel  arrived  before  Martha  had  returned. 

"  You  have  had  secrets  from  me!"  she  said,  show- 
ing him  the  paper. 

Emmanuel  hung  his  head. 

"Are  you  very  unhappy,  Marguerite?"  he  re- 
joined, and  the  tears  glistened  in  his  eyes. 

"  Oh,  yes!  Be  my  support — my  mother  calls  you 
here  our  dear  Emmanuel,"  she  said,  pointing  to  the 
letter,  and  unable  to  repress  a  joyous  gesture  at 
the  thought  that  her  choice  was  approved  by  her 
mother. 

"  My  blood  and  my  life  were  yours  from  the  day 
I  saw  you  in  the  gallery,"  he  replied,  weeping  with 
joy  and  sorrow;  "but  1  did  not  know,  I  dared  not 
hope  that  the  day  would  come  when  you  would 
accept  my  blood.  If  you  know  me  well,  you  must 
know  that  my  word  is  sacred.  Forgive  me  for  my 
absolute  compliance  with  your  mother's  wishes;  it 
was  not  for  me  to  criticise  her  intentions." 

"You  have  saved  us!"  she  said,  interrupting  him, 
and  taking  his  arm  to  go  down  to  the  parlor. 

When  she  had  learned  the  source  of  the  money 
held  by  Emmanuel,  Marguerite  confided  to  him  the 
melancholy  necessity  which  confronted  the  family. 

"  We  must  pay  the  notes,"  said  Emmanuel.  "  If 
Mersktus  has  them  all,  you  will  save  the  interest. 


THE  QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE  221 

I  will  hand  you  the  seventy  thousand  francs  which 
will  then  remain.  My  poor  uncle  left  me  a  like 
sum  in  ducats,  which  it  will  be  easy  to  bring  here 
secretly." 

"  Yes,"  she  said,  "  bring  them  at  night;  when  my 
father  is  asleep,  we  will  hide  it.  If  he  knew  that  I 
had  money,  perhaps  he  would  take  it  from  me  by 
force.  O  Emmanuel,  to  think  of  having  to  distrust 
one's  father!"  she  said,  weeping  bitterly  and  resting 
her  head  against  the  young  man's  heart. 

That  graceful,  heart-broken  movement,  whereby 
Marguerite  seemed  to  implore  protection,  was  the 
first  expression  of  that  love,  still  enveloped  in  mel- 
ancholy, still  confined  within  a  sphere  of  sorrow; 
but  that  too  full  heart  had  to  overflow,  and  it  over- 
flowed beneath  its  burden  of  unhappiness. 

"What  shall  I  do?  what  will  become  of  us?  He 
sees  nothing,  cares  for  nothing,  neither  for  us  nor 
himself,  for  I  do  not  know  how  he  can  live  in  that 
garret,  the  air  is  so  hot  and  stifling." 

"What  can  you  expect  of  a  man  who  cries  at 
every  moment,  like  Richard  III.:  'My  kingdom  for 
a  horse!'"  rejoined  Emmanuel.  "He  will  always 
be  pitiless,  and  you  must  be  as  pitiless  as  he.  Pay 
his  notes,  give  him  your  fortune  if  you  please;  but 
your  brothers'  and  your  sister's  is  neither  yours 
nor  his." 

"  Give  him  my  fortune?"  she  exclaimed,  pressing 
Emmanuel's  hand,  and  casting  a  glance  of  fire  at 
him;  "  you  advise  me  to  do  it!  whereas  Pierquin 
told  innumerable  lies  to  preserve  it  for  me!" 


222  THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE 

"  Alas!  perhaps  I  am  selfish  in  my  own  way,"  he 
replied.  "Sometimes,  I  wish  that  you  were  penni- 
less, it  seems  to  me  that  you  would  be  nearer  to  me; 
at  other  times,  I  wish  that  you  were  rich,  happy,  and 
it  seems  to  me  a  degrading  thing  to  think  of  two 
people  as  separated  by  the  paltry  grandeur  of  for- 
tune." 

"  Dear,  let  us  not  speak  of  ourselves — " 

"Ourselves!"  he  repeated,  ecstatically. 

Then,  after  a  pause,  he  added: 

"  It  is  a  great  disaster,  but  not  irreparable." 

"  It  must  be  repaired  by  us  alone,  the  Claes  family 
no  longer  has  a  head.  Into  how  deep  an  abyss  he 
must  have  fallen  to  reach  a  point  where  he  is  neither 
father  nor  man,  where  he  has  no  idea  of  what  is  just 
or  unjust — for  he,  who  was  once  so  great  and  noble 
and  upright,  has,  in  spite  of  the  law,  wasted  the 
property  of  children  whose  protector  he  should  have 
been!     Great  Heaven!  what  is  he  seeking?" 

"  Unfortunately,  my  dear  Marguerite,  although, 
as  the  head  of  a  family,  he  is  doing  wrong,  from  a 
scientific  standpoint  he  is  doing  right,  and  a  score  of 
men  in  Europe  will  admire  him  while  everybody  else 
calls  him  mad;  but  you  need  have  no  scruples  in  re- 
fusing him  the  property  of  his  children.  A  discovery 
in  science  has  always  been  a  matter  of  luck.  If  your 
father  is  destined  to  find  the  solution  of  his  problem, 
he  will  find  it  without  so  much  expense,  and  per- 
haps just  at  the  moment  when  he  has  despaired 
of  it!" 

"My  poor  mother  is  fortunate!"  said  Marguerite; 


THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE  223 

"she  must  have  suffered  death  a  thousand  times 
over  before  dying,  and  she  succumbed  in  tier  first 
battle  against  science.  But  it  is  a  battle  without 
end—" 

"  There  is  an  end,"  said  Emmanuel.  "When  you 
have  nothing  left,  Monsieur  Claes  can  obtain  no 
credit,  and  he  will  stop." 

"Then  let  him  stop  to-day!"  cried  Marguerite, 
"we  are  at  the  end  of  our  resources." 

Monsieur  de  Solis  went  and  paid  the  notes,  and 
handed  them  to  Marguerite.  Balthazar  came  down 
a  few  moments  before  dinner,  contrary  to  his  cus- 
tom. For  the  first  time  in  two  years,  his  daughter 
detected  in  his  features  the  indications  of  a  mental 
depression  horrible  to  contemplate:  he  had  become 
a  father  once  more,  sense  had  banished  science.  He 
looked  into  the  courtyard  and  into  the  garden,  and 
when  he  was  certain  that  he  was  alone  with  his 
daughter,  he  walked  up  to  her  with  a  gesture  in- 
stinct with  affectionate  melancholy. 

"  My  child,"  he  said,  taking  her  hand  and  press- 
ing it  with  effusive  tenderness,  "forgive  your  old 
father.  Yes,  Marguerite,  I  have  done  wrong.  You 
alone  are  right.  So  long  as  I  have  failed  to  find 
what  1  sought,  1  am  a  miserable  wretch!  I  will  go 
away  from  here.  I  do  not  wish  to  see  Van  Claes 
sold,"  he  said,  pointing  to  the  martyr's  portrait. 
"  He  died  for  liberty,  I  shall  have  died  for  science; 
revere  him,  hate  me — " 

"  Hate  you,  father?  No,  no!"  she  said,  throwing 
herself  upon  his  breast,  "  we  all  adore  you. — Don't 


224  THE   QUEST  OF  THE   ABSOLUTE 

we,  Felicie?"  she  asked  her  sister,  who  entered  the 
room  at  the  moment. 

"  What's  the  matter,  father  dear?"  said  the  girl, 
taking  his  hand. 

"  I  have  ruined  you." 

"Oh!  our  brothers  will  make  a  fortune  for  us. 
Jean  is  always  first  in  his  class." 

"  See,  father,"  said  Marguerite,  leading  Balthazar 
to  the  fireplace  by  a  movement  full  of  grace  and 
filial  cajolery;  "  here  are  your  notes,"  she  said, 
taking  several  papers  from  under  the  clock,  "  but 
do  not  sign  any  more;  there  will  be  nothing  to  pay 
them  with." 

"You  have  money,  then?"  said  Balthazar,  in  her 
ear,  when  he  had  recovered  from  his  surprise. 

That  question  tortured  the  heroic  girl,  there  was 
such  a  delirious  expression  of  joy  and  hope  in  her 
father's  face  as  he  looked  about,  as  if  expecting  to 
discover  gold. 

"Father,"  she  replied  in  a  sorrowful  tone,  "I 
have  my  own  fortune." 

"Give  it  to  me!"  he  exclaimed,  with  a  greedy 
gesture,  "  I  will  repay  you  a  hundred-fold." 

"Yes,  I  will  give  it  to  you,"  Marguerite  replied, 
gazing  steadfastly  at  Balthazar,  who  did  not  under- 
stand the  meaning  his  daughter  placed  upon  the 
remark. 

"Ah!  my  dear  girl,  you  save  my  life!  I  have 
thought  of  one  last  experiment,  after  which  noth- 
ing more  will  be  possible.  If  I  do  not  find  it  this 
time,  I  must  abandon  the  search  for  the  Absolute. 


THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE  225 

Come,  my  darling  child,  give  me  your  arm,  I  would 
like  to  make  you  the  happiest  woman  on  earth;  you 
restore  me  to  happiness,  to  glory;  you  give  me  the 
power  to  overwhelm  you  with  treasures,  I  will  pour 
out  wealth  and  jewels  upon  you." 

He  kissed  his  daughter's  forehead,  took  both  her 
hands,  pressed  them,  manifested  his  joy  by  cajoleries 
which  seemed  almost  servile  to  Marguerite.  During 
dinner,  Balthazar  saw  only  her,  he  watched  her 
eagerly  and  attentively,  with  the  animation  a  lover 
displays  for  his  mistress;  if  she  moved,  he  tried 
to  divine  her  thought,  her  wish,  and  left  his  seat  to 
wait  upon  her;  he  made  her  ashamed,  his  attentions 
were  marked  by  a  sort  of  youthful  ardor  which  con- 
trasted strangely  with  his  premature  old  age.  But 
Marguerite  met  his  cajoleries  with  the  picture  of 
their  present  distress,  now  by  a  word  of  doubt, 
again  by  a  glance  at  the  empty  shelves  of  the  side- 
boards in  that  dining-room. 

"  Pshaw  !"  he  said  to  her,  "  in  six  months  we  will 
fill  them  with  gold  and  beautiful  things.  You  shall 
be  like  a  queen.  Why,  all  nature  will  belong  to  us, 
we  shall  be  above  everything — and  through  you,  my 
Marguerite — Margarita!"  he  continued,  with  a  smile; 
"your  name  is  a  prophecy.  Margarita  means  a 
pearl.  Sterne  says  so  somewhere.  Have  you  read 
Sterne?  would  you  like  a  Sterne?  It  will  amuse 
you." 

"  The  pearl,  they  say,  is  the  result  of  a  disease," 
she  replied,  bitterly;  "and  we  have  suffered  much 
already." 
15 


226  THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE 

"  Do  not  be  depressed,  you  will  secure  the  happi- 
ness of  those  you  love,  you  will  be  very  powerful, 
very  rich." 

"Mademoiselle  has  such  a  kind  heart!"  said  Le- 
mulquinier,  whose  skimmer-like  face  expanded  pain- 
fully with  a  smile. 

During  all  the  rest  of  the  evening,  Balthazar  dis- 
played for  the  benefit  of  his  two  daughters  all  his 
attractive  qualities,  and  ail  the  charm  of  his  con- 
versation. Seductive  as  the  serpent,  his  words, 
his  glances,  evolved  a  magnetic  current,  and  he  put 
forth  lavishly  that  power  of  genius,  that  gentle  wit, 
which  formerly  fascinated  his  wife,  and  thereby  ad- 
mitted his  two  daughters  to  his  heart,  so  to  speak. 
When  Emmanuel  de  Solis  came,  he  found  the  father 
and  the  children  together  for  the  first  time  in  many 
weeks.  Notwithstanding  his  reserve,  the  young 
professor  yielded  to  the  influence  of  that  scene, 
for  Balthazar's  manner  and  conversation  exerted  an 
irresistible  attraction.  Although  buried  in  the  depths 
of  thought  and  engrossed  in  observing  the  moral 
world,  scientific  men  none  the  less  remark  the 
smallest  details  of  the  sphere  in  which  they  live. 
Uncongenial  rather  than  absent-minded,  they  are 
never  in  harmony  with  their  surroundings,  they 
know  and  forget  everything;  they  prejudge  the 
future,  prophesy  for  themselves  alone,  are  fully 
informed  as  to  events  before  they  happen,  but  never 
say  anything  about  them.  If,  in  the  silence  of  their 
meditations,  they  have  made  use  of  their  power  to 
realize  what  is  going  on  about  them,  it  is  enough 


THE   QUEST  OF  THE   ABSOLUTE  227 

for  them  to  have  divined  it;  their  work  runs  away 
with  them,  and  they  almost  always  make  a  false 
application  of  the  knowledge  they  have  acquired 
concerning  the  affairs  of  life.  Sometimes,  when 
they  awake  from  their  social  apathy,  or  when  they 
fall  from  the  moral  world  into  the  external  world, 
they  make  their  appearance  there  with  a  richly- 
stored  memory  and  are  strangers  to  nothing. 

Thus  Balthazar,  who  combined  perspicacity  of  the 
heart  with  perspicacity  of  the  brain,  was  familiar 
with  his  daughter's  past  life,  he  knew  or  had  divined 
the  slightest  incidents  of  the  mysterious  love  which 
united  her  to  Emmanuel,  he  proved  it  to  them  with 
delicacy,  and  sanctioned  their  attachment  by  sharing 
it.  It  was  the  sweetest  flattery  that  a  father  could 
indulge  in,  and  the  two  lovers  were  unable  to  resist 
it.  That  evening  was  the  more  delightful  by  reason 
of  the  contrast  it  presented  to  the  troubles  which 
beset  the  lives  of  those  poor  children.  When,  after 
he  had  filled  them  with  his  light  and  bathed  them  in 
affection,  so  to  speak,  Balthazar  retired,  Emmanuel 
de  Solis,  who  up  to  that  time  had  been  visibly  em- 
barrassed, took  from  his  pockets  three  thousand 
ducats,  which  he  had  kept  there,  afraid  to  let  the 
old  man  see  them.  He  placed  them  on  Marguerite's 
work-table,  where  she  covered  them  with  the  linen 
she  was  mending;  then  he  went  to  fetch  the  rest  of 
the  money.  When  he  returned,  Felicie  had  gone  to 
bed.  The  clock  was  striking  eleven.  Martha,  who 
was  sitting  up  to  undress  her  mistress,  was  busied 
with  Felicie. 


228  THE  QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE 

"Where  can  I  hide  this?"  said  Marguerite,  who 
had  not  been  able  to  resist  the  pleasure  of  handling 
a  few  ducats,  a  childish  impulse  which  proved  to  be 
her  ruin! 

"  I  will  lift  this  marble  column,  the  pedestal  of 
which  is  hollow,"  said  Emmanuel,  "you  can  slip  in 
the  rolls,  and  the  devil  himself  would  not  go  there  to 
look  for  them." 

Just  as  Marguerite  was  making  her  last  trip  but 
one  from  the  work-table  to  the  column,  she  uttered 
a  piercing  shriek  and  dropped  the  rolls,  and  the  gold 
pieces  broke  from  the  paper  and  scattered  over  the 
floor;  her  father  was  at  the  parlor  door,  and  the 
covetous  expression  on  his  face  terrified  her. 

"What  are  you  doing  there?"  he  said,  looking 
from  his  daughter,  who  was  nailed  to  the  floor  by 
fear,  to  the  young  man,  who  had  risen  abruptly, 
but  whose  attitude  beside  the  column  was  most 
significant. 

The  noise  made  by  the  gold  on  the  floor  was 
ominous,  and  its  scattering  seemed  prophetic. 

"  I  was  not  mistaken,"  said  Balthazar,  sitting 
down,  "I  heard  the  ring  of  gold." 

He  was  no  less  excited  than  the  two  young  people, 
whose  hearts  beat  so  perfectly  in  unison  that  their 
movements  could  be  heard  like  the  ticking  of  a  clock 
amid  the  profound  silence  which  suddenly  fell  upon 
the  parlor. 

"  I  thank  you,  Monsieur  de  Solis,"  said  Margue- 
rite, with  a  meaning  glance  at  the  young  man,  as  if 
to  say: 


THE   QUEST  OF  THE   ABSOLUTE  229 

"  Help  me  to  save  this  money." 

"What!  all  this  gold—?"  said  Balthazar,  with  a 
glance  of  terrifying  keenness  at  his  daughter  and 
Emmanuel. 

"  This  gold  is  monsieur's;  he  has  been  kind  enough 
to  lend  it  to  me  to  honor  our  obligations,"  she  replied. 

Monsieur  de  Solis  blushed,  and  started  to  leave  the 
room. 

"Stay,  monsieur,"  said  Balthazar,  taking  his  arm 
to  detain  him,  "do  not  go  without  receiving  an  ex- 
pression of  my  gratitude." 

"You  owe  me  nothing,  monsieur.  This  money 
belongs  to  Mademoiselle  Marguerite,  who  has  bor- 
rowed it  from  me  on  her  own  property,"  he  replied, 
looking  at  his  mistress,  who  thanked  him  with  an 
imperceptible  movement  of  the  eyelids. 

"  I  will  not  allow  that,"  said  Claes,  as  he  took 
a  pen  and  sheet  of  paper  from  the  table  at  which 
Felicie  had  been  writing. 

Turning  to  the  astonished  young  people,  he  added: 

"  How  much  is  there?" 

His  passion  had  made  Balthazar  more  cunning  than 
the  shrewdest  of  rascally  stewards:  the  money  should 
be  his.     Marguerite  and  Monsieur  de  Solis  hesitated. 

"  Let  us  count  it,"  said  Balthazar. 

"  There  are  six  thousand  ducats,"  replied  Em- 
manuel. 

"  Seventy  thousand  francs,"  rejoined  Claes. 

The  glance  which  Marguerite  bestowed  upon  her 
lover  gave  him  courage. 

"  Monsieur,"  he  said,  respectfully,  "  your  promise 


230  THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE 

is  without  value — pray  forgive  that  purely  technical 
expression;  I  lent  mademoiselle  a  hundred  thousand 
francs  this  morning  to  take  up  notes  which  you 
were  unable  to  pay,  therefore  you  can  give  me  no 
security.  The  hundred  and  seventy  thousand  francs 
belong  to  mademoiselle  your  daughter,  who  can  dis- 
pose of  it  as  she  sees  fit,  but  I  have  lent  it  to  her 
solely  on  the  strength  of  her  promise  to  sign  an 
agreement  whereby  I  shall  be  secured  by  a  convey- 
ance of  her  interest  in  the  bare  lands  of  Waignies." 

Marguerite  turned  her  head  away  to  conceal  the 
tears  that  came  to  her  eyes;  she  knew  the  purity  of 
heart  which  was  Emmanuel's  most  distinctive  char- 
acteristic. Brought  up  by  his  uncle  to  the  strictest 
observance  of  the  religious  virtues,  the  young  man 
had  an  especial  horror  of  falsehood  ;  thus,  after  offer- 
ing his  heart  and  his  life  to  Marguerite,  he  also  sacri- 
ficed his  conscience  to  her. 

"Adieu,  monsieur,"  said  Balthazar,  "I  believed 
that  you  had  more  confidence  in  a  man  who  looks 
upon  you  with  a  father's  eyes." 

Having  exchanged  a  sorrowful  glance  with  Mar- 
guerite, Emmanuel  was  ushered  out  by  Martha,  who 
locked  the  street  door.  As  soon  as  the  father  and 
the  daughter  were  alone,  Claes  said  to  her: 

"  You  love  me,  do  you  not?" 

"  Do  not  beat  about  the  bush,  father:  you  want 
this  money,  do  you  not?  you  shall  not  have  it." 

She  began  to  pick  up  the  ducats;  her  father  silently 
assisted  her  to  do  it  and  to  verify  the  amount  she 
had  dropped ;  and  Marguerite  allowed  him  to  assist, 


THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE  231 

without  manifesting  the  slightest  suspicion.  When 
the  ducats  were  arranged  in  piles  once  more,  Bal- 
thazar said,  despairingly: 

"  Marguerite,  I  must  have  this  gold  !" 

"  It  would  be  robbery  if  you  should  take  it,"  she 
replied,  coolly.  "Listen  to  me,  father:  it  is  better  to 
kill  us  at  a  single  stroke  than  to  make  us  suffer  a 
thousand  deaths  every  day.  Tell  me,  which  of  us, 
you  or  I,  must  yield?" 

"You  will  have  murdered  your  father!"  he  ex- 
claimed. 

"  We  shall  have  avenged  our  mother,"  she  re- 
torted, pointing  to  the  place  where  Madame  Claes 
had  died. 

"My  daughter,  if  you  knew  all  that  is  at  stake, 
you  would  not  use  such  words  to  me.  Listen,  I  will 
explain  the  problem  to  you. — But  you  would  not 
understand  me!"  he  cried  in  despair.  "  However, 
give  it  to  me!  trust  your  father  for  once.  Yes,  I 
know  that  1  made  your  mother  unhappy;  that  1  have 
squandered,  to  use  the  word  of  ignorant  people,  my 
own  fortune  and  impaired  yours;  that  you  are  all 
working  because  of  what  you  call  madness;  but,  my 
angel,  my  beloved,  my  love,  my  Marguerite,  pray 
listen  to  me!  If  I  do  not  succeed,  I  give  myself  to 
you,  I  will  obey  you  as  you  ought  to  obey  me;  I  will 
do  whatever  you  wish,  I  will  place  the  management 
of  my  property  in  your  hands,  I  will  cease  to  be  the 
guardian  of  my  children,  I  will  strip  myself  of  all 
authority — I  swear  it  by  your  mother!"  he  said, 
weeping. 


232  THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE 

Marguerite  turned  her  head  away  in  order  not  to 
see  that  tear-stained  face,  and  Claes  threw  himself 
at  her  feet,  thinking  that  she  was  about  to  yield. 

"  Marguerite,  Marguerite!  give  it  to  me,  give  it  to 
me!  What  are  sixty  thousand  francs  as  the  price  of 
avoiding  everlasting  remorse!  I  shall  die,  I  tell  you, 
this  will  kill  me. — Listen  to  me!  my  word  shall  be 
sacredly  kept.  If  I  fail,  I  will  abandon  my  labors,  I 
will  leave  Flanders,  yes,  France,  if  you  demand  it, 
and  I  will  work  like  a  mechanic  to  rebuild  my  for- 
tune sou  by  sou,  so  that  I  may  some  day  return  to 
my  children  what  science  has  taken  from  them." 

Marguerite  tried  to  raise  him,  but  he  persisted 
in  remaining  on  his  knees,  and  added,  still  weeping: 

"Be  kind  and  self-sacrificing  once  more,  for  the 
last  time!  If  I  do  not  succeed,  I  will  myself  justify 
you  in  any  harsh  treatment  of  me.  You  shall  call 
me  an  old  fool !  you  shall  call  me  a  wicked  father! 
you  shall  even  tell  me  that  I  am  an  ignoramus!  And 
when  I  hear  those  words  I  will  kiss  your  hands.  You 
may  beat  me  if  you  wish;  and  when  you  beat  me  I 
will  bless  you  as  the  best  of  daughters,  remembering 
that  you  gave  me  your  blood  !" 

"  If  only  my  blood  were  concerned,  I  would  give  it 
to  you,"  she  cried,  "but  can  I  allow  my  brothers 
and  my  sister  to  be  murdered  by  science ?— no! — Say 
no  more,  say  no  more!"  she  said,  wiping  her  eyes 
and  pushing  away  her  father's  caressing  hands. 

"Sixty  thousand  francs  and  two  months!"  he 
said,  springing  to  his  feet  in  a  frenzy,  "  I  need  only 
that!  but  my  daughter  interposes  between  fame  and 


THE  HIDDEN  TREASURE 


Just  as  Marguerite  was  making  her  last  trip  but 
one  from  the  work-table  to  the  column,  she  uttered 
a  piercing  shriek  and  dropped  the  rolls,  and  the  gold 
pieces  broke  from  the  paper  and  scattered  over  the 
floor;  her  father  was  at  the  parlor  door,  and  the 
covetous  expression  on  his  face  terrified  her. 


\ 


. 


.;. '  !%lfKHWPfflSai|fei|iJttt 


AO»<,'EM-^o\£ALJ.« 


THE  QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE  233 

wealth  and  me—  My  curse  on  you!"  he  exclaimed. 
"  You  are  neither  girl  nor  woman,  you  have  no  heart! 
you  will  be  neither  mother  nor  wife! — Let  me  take 
it!  my  darling  pet,  my  dearest  child !  I  will  worship 
you,"  he  said,  putting  out  his  hand  toward  the  gold 
with  a  gesture  of  savage  vehemence. 

"  1  am  helpless  against  violence,  but  God  and  the 
great  Claes  see  us!"  said  Marguerite,  pointing  to 
the  portrait. 

"  Be  it  so!  try  to  live  covered  with  your  father's 
blood!"  cried  Balthazar,  gazing  at  her  with  an  ex- 
pression of  horror. 

He  rose,  looked  about  the  parlor,  and  walked 
slowly  away.  When  he  reached  the  door,  he  turned 
as  a  beggar  might  have  done,  and  questioned  his 
daughter  with  a  gesture  to  which  Marguerite  replied 
by  a  shake  of  the  head. 

"Adieu,  my  daughter,"  he  said,  gently;  "try  to 
be  happy." 

When  he  had  disappeared,  Marguerite  remained 
in  a  state  of  stupefaction,  the  effect  of  which  was  to 
isolate  her  from  the  earth;  she  was  no  longer  in  the 
parlor,  she  no  longer  felt  the  weight  of  her  body, 
she  had  wings,  and  flew  about  through  the  moral 
world,  where  everything  is  immense,  where  the 
thought  brings  distant  points  and  distant  periods 
of  time  together,  where  some  divine  hand  raises 
the  veil  stretched  over  the  future.  It  seemed  to 
her  that  whole  days  passed  between  each  two  of  her 
father's  steps  as  he  ascended  the  stairs;  then  she 
shivered  with   horror  as  she  heard  him  enter   his 


234  THE   QUEST  OF  THE   ABSOLUTE 

chamber.  Guided  by  a  presentiment  which  en- 
abled her  mind  to  see  as  by  the  vivid  light  of  a 
flash  of  lightning,  she  ran  upstairs  without  a  candle, 
noiselessly,  with  the  speed  of  an  arrow,  and  found 
her  father  with  a  pistol  at  his  temple. 

"  Take  it  all !"  she  cried,  rushing  toward  him. 

She  sank  upon  a  chair.  Balthazar,  seeing  how  pale 
she  was,  began  to  weep  as  old  men  weep;  he  be- 
came a  child  once  more,  kissed  her  on  the  brow,  and 
talked  incoherently;  he  was  ready  to  jump  for  joy, 
and  seemed  to  wish  to  play  with  her  as  a  lover  plays 
with  his  mistress  after  she  has  made  him  happy. 

"Enough!  enough,  father!"  she  said;  "remem- 
ber your  promise.  If  you  do  not  succeed,  you  will 
obey  me?" 

"Yes." 

"O  mother!"  she  cried,  turning  toward  her 
mother's  bedroom,  "you  would  have  given  him 
all,  would  you  not?" 

"  Sleep  in  peace,"  said  Balthazar,  "  you  are  a  good 
girl." 

"Sleep!"  she  rejoined;  "I  no  longer  have  the 
peaceful  nights  of  my  youth;  you  are  making  me 
old,  father,  just  as  you  slowly  withered  mother's 
heart." 

"  Poor  child,  I  wish  that  I  might  set  your  mind 
at  rest  by  explaining  the  effects  of  the  magnificent 
experiment  I  have  just  conceived;  you  would  under- 
stand—" 

"  I  understand  nothing  but  our  ruin,"  she  said,  as 
she  left  him. 


THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE  235 

The  next  morning,  it  being  a  school  holiday,  Em- 
manuel de  Solis  brought  Jean  home. 

"Well?"  he  said,  sadly,  as  he  greeted  Marguerite. 

"1  yielded,"  she  replied. 

"  My  dear  life,"  he  said,  in  an  outburst  of  melan- 
choly joy,  "  if  you  had  resisted,  I  should  have  ad- 
mired you;  but,  in  your  weakness,  I  adore  you!" 

"  Poor,  poor  Emmanuel,  what  shall  we  have  left?" 

"Leave  it  to  me!"  cried  the  young  man,  with  a 
radiant  face;  "  we  love  each  other,  all  will  go  well !" 


Several  months  passed  in  perfect  tranquillity. 
Monsieur  de  Solis  convinced  Marguerite  that  her 
paltry  savings  would  never  amount  to  a  fortune, 
and  advised  her  to  live  comfortably,  using  what  was 
left  of  the  money  that  had  been  placed  in  his  hands, 
to  defray  the  household  expenses.  During  that  time, 
Marguerite  was  tormented  by  the  same  anxieties 
that  had  made  her  mother  miserable  under  similar 
circumstances.  However  incredulous  she  may  have 
been,  she  had  gone  so  far  as  to  place  some  hope  in 
her  father's  genius.  By  an  inexplicable  phenom- 
enon, many  people  have  hope  without  faith.  Hope 
is  the  flower  of  desire,  faith  is  the  fruit  of  certainty. 
Marguerite  said:  "  If  my  father  succeeds,  we  shall 
be  happy!"  Only  Claes  and  Lemulquinier  said: 
"We  shall  succeed!" — Unluckily,  Balthazar's  face 
grew  sadder  from  day  to  day.  When  he  came  to 
dinner,  sometimes  he  dared  not  look  at  his  daughter, 
sometimes  he  cast  triumphant  glances  at  her.  Mar- 
guerite employed  her  evenings  in  listening  to  the 
elucidation  of  divers  legal  puzzles  by  young  De  Solis. 
She  overwhelmed  her  father  with  questions  as  to 
their  family  relations.  At  last,  she  finished  her 
virile  education,  she  was  evidently  preparing  to 
execute  the  plan  she  had  formed,  in  the  event  that 
her  father  succumbed  once  more  in  his  duel  with 
the  Unknown  Quantity — X. 

(237) 


238  THE  QUEST  OF  THE   ABSOLUTE 

Early  in  July,  Balthazar  passed  a  whole  day  sitting 
on  the  bench  in  his  garden,  absorbed  in  melancholy 
meditation.  He  gazed  at  the  empty  bed  where  the 
tulips  had  been,  and  at  the  windows  of  his  wife's 
bedroom;  he  shuddered,  doubtless,  as  he  thought  of 
all  that  his  struggle  had  cost  him;  his  movements 
proved  that  his  thoughts  were  of  other  subjects  than 
science.  Marguerite  went  and  sat  beside  him  with 
her  work,  a  few  moments  before  dinner. 

"  Well,  father,  you  have  not  succeeded?" 

"  No,  my  child." 

"Ah!"  she  rejoined  in  a  soft  voice,  "I  will  not 
utter  a  single  word  of  reproach;  we  are  equally  cul- 
pable.    1  will   simply  demand  that  you  fulfil  your 
promise,  it    must  be  sacred  to  you,  for  you  are  a 
Claes.     Your  children  surround  you  with  love  and 
respect;  but  to-day  you  belong  to  me  and  owe  me 
obedience.     Have  no  fear,  my  reign  will  be  mild; 
indeed,  1  will  do  my  best  to  have  it  come  to  an  end 
very  soon.     1  am  going  to  take  Martha  and  leave 
you  for  about  a  month,  to  look  after  your  interests; 
for,"  she  added,  kissing  him  on  the  forehead,  "  you 
are  my  child.     After  to-morrow,  therefore,  Felicie 
will  keep  the  house.     The  poor  child  is  only  seven- 
teen, she  could  not  resist  you;  be  generous,  and  do 
not  ask  her  for  a  sou,  for  she  will  have  only  what 
is  absolutely  necessary  for  the  household  expenses. 
Be  brave,  give  up  your  work  and  your  thoughts  for 
two  or  three  years.     The   problem  will    mature,  1 
shall  have  saved  money  to  solve  it,  and  you  shall 
solve  it.     Tell  me,  isn't  your  queen  indulgent?" 


THE   QUEST  OF  THE   ABSOLUTE  239 

"  Then  ail  is  not  lost?"  said  the  old  man. 

"  No,  not  if  you  are  true  to  your  word." 

"I  will  obey  you,  my  child,"  said  Claes,  with 
deep  emotion. 

The  next  day,  Monsieur  Conyncks  arrived  from 
Cambrai  to  take  up  his  grandniece.  He  was  in  a 
post-chaise,  and  declined  to  remain  at  his  cousin's  for 
any  longer  time  than  Marguerite  and  Martha  required 
to  make  their  preparations.  Monsieur  Claes  received 
him  hospitably,  but  he  was  perceptibly  depressed  and 
humiliated.  Old  Conyncks  divined  his  thoughts, 
and,  while  they  were  at  breakfast,  said  to  him,  with 
vulgar  frankness: 

"  I  have  some  of  your  pictures,  cousin  ;  1  have  a 
taste  for  fine  pictures;  it's  a  ruinous  passion,  but  we 
all  have  our  manias,  you  know." 

"  Dear  uncle!"  said  Marguerite. 

"You  are  supposed  to  be  ruined,  cousin;  but  a 
Claes  always  has  treasures  here,"  he  said,  touching 
his  forehead,  "  and  here,  too,  is  it  not  so?"  pointing 
to  his  heart.  "So  1  rely  on  you!  I  have  found  a 
few  crowns  in  my  wallet,  which  I  have  placed  at 
your  disposal." 

"Ah!"  cried  Balthazar,  "  I  will  repay  you  with 
treasures — " 

"  The  only  treasures  we  possess  here  in  Flanders 
are  patience  and  toil,"  rejoined  the  old  man,  sternly. 
"  Our  ancestor  has  those  two  words  engraved  on 
his  forehead,"  he  added,  pointing  to  the  portrait  of 
President  Van  Claes. 

Marguerite  embraced  her  father,  bade  him  adieu, 


240  THE   QUEST  OF  THE   ABSOLUTE 

gave  a  few  parting  injunctions  to  Josette  and  Felicie, 
and  started  for  Paris  by  post.  The  granduncle,  who 
was  a  widower,  had  but  one  child,  a  girl  of  twelve, 
and  was  immensely  rich;  it  was  not  impossible, 
therefore,  that  he  might  choose  to  act  obstinately, 
and  the  good  people  of  Douai  believed  that  Made- 
moiselle Claes  would  become  his  wife. 

The  rumor  of  that  advantageous  marriage  brought 
Pierquin  back  to  Claes  House.  Great  changes  had 
taken  place  in  the  ideas  of  that  shrewd  calculator. 
Within  two  years  the  society  of  the  town  had  become 
divided  into  two  hostile  camps.  The  nobility  had 
formed  one  circle  and  the  bourgeoisie  another,  natu- 
rally very  inimical  to  the  first.  This  abrupt  cleav- 
age, which  took  place  throughout  France,  and  divided 
the  realm  into  two  hostile  nations,  whose  mutual 
jealousy  and  irritation  constantly  increased,  was 
one  of  the  principal  reasons  for  the  adhesion  of  the 
provinces  to  the  Revolution  of  July,  1830.  Between 
those  two  social  strata,  one  of  which  was  ultra- 
monarchical  and  the  other  ultra-liberal,  were  the 
public  functionaries,  who  were  admitted  into  one 
circle  or  the  other  according  to  their  importance,  and 
were  neutral  at  the  time  of  the  downfall  of  the  legiti- 
mate line.  At  the  outset  of  the  contest  between 
the  nobility  and  the  bourgeoisie,  the  royalist  coffee- 
parties  acquired  extraordinary  brilliancy,  and  became 
such  distinguished  rivals  to  the  liberal  coffee-parties, 
that  those  gastronomic  functions  were  said  to  have 
cost  the  lives  of  several  persons,  who,  like  mortars 
improperly  cast,  could  not  stand  the  strain. 


THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE  241 

Naturally,  the  two  social  strata  became  exclusive, 
and  went  through  a  weeding-out  process.  Although 
very  rich  for  a  provincial,  Pierquin  was  shut  out 
from  the  aristocratic  circles,  and  thrown  back  upon 
those  of  the  bourgeoisie.  His  self-esteem  suffered 
severely  from  the  successive  snubs  which  he  re- 
ceived when  he  found  himself  being  courteously 
turned  out-of-doors  by  men  with  whom  he  had 
lately  been  on  intimate  terms.  He  was  approach- 
ing forty,  the  limit  of  age  at  which  men  who  pro- 
pose to  marry  can  hope  to  marry  young  women. 
The  young  women  to  whom  he  was  at  liberty  to 
aspire  belonged  to  the  bourgeoisie,  and  his  ambition 
was  bent  upon  remaining  in  the  upper  social  circle, 
into  which  an  aristocratic  alliance  would  introduce 
him. 

The  isolation  in  which  the  Claes  family  lived  had 
kept  them  in  ignorance  of  this  social  phenomenon. 
Although  Claes  belonged  to  the  old  provincial  aris- 
tocracy, it  was  probable  that  his  preoccupations 
would  interfere  with  his  espousal  of  the  antipathies 
created  by  the  new  classification  of  individuals. 
However  poor  she  might  be,  a  Demoiselle  Claes 
would  bring  to  her  husband  that  treasure  of  vanity 
which  all  parvenus  crave.  Pierquin  resumed  his 
visits  to  Claes  House,  therefore,  with  the  secret 
purpose  of  making  the  sacrifices  necessary  to  en- 
able him  to  negotiate  a  marriage  which  would  real- 
ize all  his  ambitions.  He  favored  Balthazar  and 
Felicie  with  his  company  during  Marguerite's  ab- 
sence, but  he  was  slow  to  recognize  a  formidable 
16 


242  THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE 

rival  in  Emmanuel  de  Solis.  The  deceased  abbe's 
inheritance  was  supposed  to  amount  to  a  consider- 
able sum;  and  in  the  eyes  of  a  man  who  artlessly 
reduced  everything  in  life  to  figures,  the  young  heir 
seemed  more  to  be  dreaded  by  reason  of  his  money 
than  by  the  charming  qualities  of  his  heart,  as  to 
which  Pierquin  never  troubled  himself. 

That  fortune  restored  to  the  name  of  Solis  all  its 
splendor.  Wealth  and  noble  birth  were  like  two 
lustrous  objects  which,  by  illuminating  each  other, 
doubled  their  brilliancy.  The  sincere  affection  mani- 
fested by  the  young  professor  for  Felicie,  whom  he 
treated  like  a  sister,  aroused  the  notary's  emulation. 
He  tried  to  eclipse  Emmanuel  by  mingling  fashionable 
jargon  and  expressions  of  superficial  gallantry  with 
the  dreamy  airs,  the  thoughtful  discourse,  which  were 
so  suited  to  his  face.  Declaring  that  he  was  disen- 
chanted with  everything  in  the  world,  he  would  turn 
his  eyes  upon  Felicie  in  such  a  way  as  to  make  her 
think  that  she  alone  could  reconcile  him  to  life. 
Felicie,  to  whom  no  man  had  ever  paid  compli- 
ments before,  listened  to  that  language,  always  so 
sweet  to  hear  even  when  it  is  false;  she  mistook 
emptiness  for  depth,  and  in  the  need  which  she 
felt  of  giving  definiteness  to  the  vague  sentiments 
with  which  her  heart  overflowed,  she  gave  her  at- 
tention to  her  cousin.  Jealous,  perhaps  uncon- 
sciously, of  the  loving  attentions  which  Emmanuel 
lavished  on  her  sister,  she  doubtless  wished  that  she 
might  herself  be,  like  Marguerite,  the  object  of  the 
glances,  the  thoughts,  and  the  affections  of  a  man. 


THE  QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE  243 

Pierquin  easily  detected  the  preference  which  Felicie 
accorded  him  over  Emmanuel,  and  that  was  an  in- 
centive to  him  to  persist  in  his  efforts,  so  that  he 
involved  himself  more  deeply  than  he  intended. 
Emmanuel  watched  the  early  stages  of  this  passion, 
false  in  the  notary,  ingenuous  in  Felicie,  whose 
future  was  at  stake.  There  were  divers  tender 
conversations  between  the  cousins,  words  exchanged 
in  undertones  behind  Emmanuel's  back, — in  a  word, 
those  petty  deceptions  which  give  to  a  glance,  to  a 
word,  a  meaning  whose  insidious  sweetness  may 
lead  to  innocent  faults. 

Pierquin  tried  to  make  use  of  his  intimacy  with 
Felicie  to  probe  the  secret  of  Marguerite's  journey, 
in  order  to  ascertain  whether  it  had  to  do  with  her 
marriage  and  if  he  must  renounce  his  hopes;  but, 
notwithstanding  his  awkward  cunning,  neither  Bal- 
thazar nor  Felicie  could  give  him  any  information,  for 
the  reason  that  they  knew  nothing  of  Marguerite's 
plans:  in  assuming  supreme  power,  she  seemed  to 
have  followed  the  maxim  of  the  supreme  power  of 
the  State,  by  keeping  her  own  counsel  as  to  her 
plans.  Balthazar's  gloomy  depression  and  his  fail- 
ing strength  made  the  evenings  exceedingly  dull. 
Although  Emmanuel  had  succeeded  in  making  the 
chemist  play  backgammon,  his  mind  was  never  on 
the  game;  and  most  of  the  time  that  man,  great  as 
he  was  in  intellect,  seemed  stupid.  Disappointed  in 
his  hopes,  humiliated  at  having  devoured  three  for- 
tunes, a  penniless  gambler,  he  bent  under  the  weight 
of  his  ruins,  under  the  burden  of  his  betrayed  rather 


244  THE   QUEST  OF  THE   ABSOLUTE 

than  destroyed  hopes.  That  man  of  genius,  muzzled 
by  necessity,  condemning  himself,  presented  a  truly 
tragic  spectacle  which  would  have  touched  the  least 
susceptible  of  men.  Pierquin  himself  could  not  look 
without  respect  upon  that  caged  lion,  whose  eyes, 
full  of  restrained  power,  had  become  calm  through 
melancholy,  dull  through  superabundance  of  light; 
whose  glances  besought  alms  which  the  mouth  dared 
not  offer.  Sometimes  a  gleam  passed  across  that 
withered  face,  which  became  animated  anew  with 
the  idea  of  a  new  experiment;  then,  if  Balthazar's 
eyes,  as  he  gazed  about  the  parlor,  chanced  to  rest 
on  the  spot  where  his  wife  had  expired,  tears  would 
gather  like  grains  of  burning  sand  in  the  desert  of 
his  eyes,  made  immense  by  thought,  and  his  head 
would  fall  forward  on  his  breast.  He  had  raised 
the  world,  like  a  Titan,  and  the  world  was  growing 
heavier  on  his  shoulders. 

That  colossal  sorrow,  so  courageously  restrained, 
had  its  effect  on  both  Pierquin  and  Emmanuel,  who 
sometimes  felt  so  deeply  moved  that  they  were  in- 
clined to  offer  him  the  money  necessary  for  a  series 
of  experiments;  so  infectious  are  the  convictions  of 
genius!  They  both  realized  how  Madame  Claes  and 
Marguerite  might  have  been  induced  to  toss  millions 
into  that  abyss;  but  reason  speedily  checked  the 
impulses  of  the  heart;  and  their  emotion  found  vent 
in  words  of  consolation  which  sharpened  the  pangs 
of  that  crushed  Titan.  Claes  did  not  mention  his 
oldest  daughter,  and  expressed  no  uneasiness  con- 
cerning her  absence  or  her  silence,  for  she  wrote 


THE  QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE  245 

neither  to  him  nor  to  Felicie.  When  De  Solis  or  Pier- 
quin  asked  for  news  of  her,  he  seemed  to  be  affected 
unpleasantly  by  their  questions.  Had  he  a  presenti- 
ment that  Marguerite  was  acting  against  him?  Did 
he  feel  humiliated  because  he  had  resigned  the 
majestic  rights  of  paternity  to  his  child?  Had  his 
love  for  her  diminished,  because  she  was  to  be  the 
father  thenceforth  and  he  the  child?  It  may  be  that 
many  of  these  arguments  and  many  of  these  senti- 
ments passed  like  clouds  through  his  mind,  in  the 
mute  disgrace  for  which  he  held  Marguerite  respon- 
sible. 

However  great  great  men  may  be,  known  or  un- 
known, fortunate  or  unfortunate  in  their  aspirations, 
they  have  some  pettinesses  of  character  by  which 
they  are  allied  to  the  rest  of  mankind.  They  have 
the  twofold  misfortune  of  suffering  no  less  through 
their  good  qualities  than  through  their  faults;  and  it 
may  be  that  Balthazar  had  yet  to  familiarize  himself 
with  the  pangs  of  his  wounded  vanity.  The  life  that 
he  led,  and  the  evenings  that  those  four  passed  to- 
gether during  Marguerite's  absence,  were,  therefore, 
stamped  with  melancholy,  filled  with  undefined  ap- 
prehensions. The  days  were  as  unfertile  as  arid 
moors,  where,  however,  they  gleaned  a  few  flowers, 
infrequent  consolations.  The  atmosphere  seemed 
hazy  to  them  in  the  absence  of  the  oldest  daughter, 
who  had  become  the  soul,  the  strength,  and  the  hope 
of  that  family. 

Two  months  passed  thus,  during  which  Balthazar 
patiently  awaited  his  daughter's  return.     Marguerite 


246  THE  QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE 

was  escorted  back  to  Douai  by  her  uncle,  who  re- 
mained at  the  house  instead  of  returning  to  Cam- 
brai,  doubtless  to  give  the  support  of  his  authority 
to  some  coup  d'etat  meditated  by  his  niece.  Mar- 
guerite's return  was  made  the  occasion  of  a  little 
family  fete.  The  notary  and  Monsieur  de  Solis  had 
been  invited  by  Balthazar  and  Felicie.  When  the 
post-chaise  stopped  at  the  door,  those  four  went  out 
to  meet  the  travellers  with  effusive  demonstrations 
of  delight.  Marguerite  seemed  happy  to  be  beneath 
the  paternal  roof  once  more,  and  her  eyes  filled  with 
tears  when  she  crossed  the  courtyard  on  her  way  to 
the  parlor.  When  she  embraced  her  father,  her 
thoughts  were  not  free  from  reservations,  and  she 
blushed  like  a  guilty  wife  who  does  not  know  how 
to  pretend;  but  her  glances  recovered  their  limpid 
purity  when  she  looked  at  Monsieur  de  Solis,  from 
whom  she  seemed  to  acquire  strength  to  finish  the 
undertaking  upon  which  she  had  secretly  embarked. 
During  dinner,  despite  the  gayety  which  enlivened 
their  faces  and  their  words,  the  father  and  the  daugh- 
ter eyed  each  other  with  suspicion  and  curiosity.  Bal- 
thazar asked  Marguerite  no  questions  concerning  her 
stay  in  Paris,  probably  from  a  sense  of  paternal  dig- 
nity. Emmanuel  de  Solis  imitated  that  reserve.  But 
Pierquin,  who  was  in  the  habit  of  knowing  all  the 
family  secrets,  said  to  Marguerite,  disguising  his 
curiosity  beneath  a  false  affability: 

"  Well,  my  dear  cousin,  1  suppose  you  saw  every- 
thing in  Paris,  the  theatres? — " 

"  1  saw  nothing  in  Paris,"  she  replied,  "  1  did  not 


THE  QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE  247 

go  there  for  amusement.  The  days  passed  sadly 
enough  for  me;  I  was  too  impatient  to  see  Douai 
again." 

"If  I  had  not  lost  my  temper  with  her,  she 
wouldn't  even  have  gone  to  the  Opera,  where 
she  was  bored,  by  the  way!"  said  Monsieur 
Conyncks. 

It  was  a  painful  evening,  everybody  was  embar- 
rassed, smiled  with  difficulty,  or  struggled  to  display 
that  forced  cheerfulness  beneath  which  real  anxiety 
is  concealed.  Marguerite  and  Balthazar  were  under 
the  spell  of  secret,  painful  apprehensions,  which  re- 
acted upon  their  hearts.  As  the  evening  advanced, 
the  faces  of  the  father  and  the  daughter  became  more 
and  more  disturbed.  Sometimes  Marguerite  tried  to 
smile,  but  her  gestures,  her  expression,  the  tone  of 
her  voice,  betrayed  the  keenest  anxiety.  Messieurs 
Conyncks  and  De  Solis  seemed  to  know  the  cause  of 
the  noble  girl's  suppressed  excitement,  and  sought 
to  encourage  her  by  meaning  glances.  Hurt  because 
he  was  kept  in  ignorance  of  a  decision  concerning 
himself  and  of  steps  taken  in  pursuance  thereof,  Bal- 
thazar insensibly  held  aloof  from  his  children  and 
his  friends,  ostentatiously  refraining  from  speaking. 
Doubtless,  Marguerite  was  about  to  disclose  what 
she  had  decided  to  do  with  him.  That  was  an  intol- 
erable position  for  a  great  man,  for  a  father.  Having 
reached  an  age  at  which  one  ceases  to  dissemble 
his  thoughts  among  his  children,  where  the  wide 
range  of  ideas  gives  force  to  the  feelings,  he  became 
more  and  more  serious,  thoughtful,  and  morose  as 


248  THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE 

he  saw  that  the  moment  of  his  civil  death  was  draw- 
ing near. 

That  evening  contained  one  of  those  crises  in 
domestic  life  which  can  be  described  only  by  meta- 
phor. The  thunder-clouds  were  gathering  in  the 
sky,  in  the  fields  laughter  was  rife;  everyone  was 
oppressively  warm,  felt  the  storm  coming,  raised 
his  head  and  went  his  way.  Monsieur  Conyncks 
went  off  to  bed  first,  and  was  shown  to  his  room  by 
Balthazar.  During  his  absence,  Pierquin  and  Mon- 
sieur de  Solis  took  their  leave.  Marguerite  bade  the 
notary  an  affectionate  good-night;  she  said  nothing 
to  Emmanuel,  but  pressed  his  hand  and  bestowed  a 
tearful  glance  upon  him.  She  sent  Felicie  away, 
and  when  Claes  returned  to  the  parlor,  he  found  his 
daughter  alone. 

"  My  dear  father,"  she  said  in  a  trembling  voice, 
"  it  required  circumstances  as  grave  as  our  present 
ones  to  induce  me  to  leave  the  house;  but  after  much 
anguish  of  mind,  after  surmounting  many  extraordi- 
nary obstacles,  I  have  returned  with  some  prospect 
of  salvation  for  us  all.  Thanks  to  your  name,  to 
your  uncle's  influence,  and  that  of  Monsieur  de 
Solis,  we  have  obtained  for  you  the  post  of  receiver 
of  taxes  in  Bretagne;  it  is  said  to  be  worth  eighteen 
to  twenty  thousand  francs  a  year.  Our  uncle  de- 
posited the  necessary  security. — Here  is  your  ap- 
pointment," she  added,  taking  a  paper  from  her  bag. 
"  Your  life  here,  during  our  years  of  privations  and 
sacrifice,  would  be  intolerable.  Our  father  must 
live  in  a  position  at  least  equal  to  that  in  which  he 


THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE  249 

has  always  lived.  1  will  not  ask  you  for  any  part  of 
your  salary,  you  may  use  it  in  any  way  you  choose. 
I  simply  beg  you  to  remember  that  we  have  not  one 
sou  of  income,  and  that  we  must  all  live  upon  what 
Gabriel  gives  us  out  of  his.  The  town  will  know 
nothing  of  this  monastic  life.  If  you  were  at  home, 
you  would  be  an  obstacle  to  the  success  of  the 
methods  my  sister  and  I  must  employ  in  our  attempt 
to  acquire  a  competence.  Am  I  abusing  the  authority 
you  have  given  me  by  placing  you  in  a  position  to 
rebuild  your  fortune  for  yourself?  In  a  few  years, 
if  you  choose,  you  will  be  receiver-general." 

"  And  so,  Marguerite,"  said  Balthazar,  mildly, 
"you  turn  me  out  of  my  own  house — " 

"  1  do  not  deserve  such  a  harsh  reproach,"  re- 
plied the  girl,  repressing  the  tumultuous  beating  of 
her  heart.  "You  will  return  to  us  when  you  are 
able  to  live  in  your  native  town  as  it  befits  you 
to  live  here.  Moreover,  father,  have  I  not  your 
word?"  she  added,  coldly.  "You  must  obey  me. 
My  uncle  remained  here  in  order  to  go  with  you  to 
Bretagne,  so  that  you  need  not  make  the  journey 
alone." 

"  I  will  not  go!"  cried  Balthazar,  rising  from  his 
chair;  "  I  do  not  need  anyone's  help  to  establish  my 
fortune  anew  and  pay  what  I  owe  my  children." 

"  It  will  be  better,"  rejoined  Marguerite,  unmoved. 
"  I  will  simply  ask  you  to  reflect  on  our  respective 
positions,  which  1  will  set  before  you  in  very  few 
words.  If  you  remain  in  this  house,  your  children 
will  leave  it,  so  that  you  may  be  in  full  control." 


250  THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE 

"  Marguerite!"  cried  Balthazar. 

"Furthermore,"  she  continued,  not  choosing  to 
notice  her  father's  irritation,  "you  must  inform  the 
minister  of  your  refusal,  if  you  do  refuse  a  lucra- 
tive and  honorable  position,  which,  notwithstanding 
our  efforts,  and  the  influence  we  possessed,  we  could 
not  have  obtained  without  certain  thousand-franc 
notes  which  my  uncle  adroitly  slipped  into  a  woman's 
glove." 

"  Leave  me!" 

"Either  you  will  leave  us  or  we  will  run  away 
from  you,"  she  rejoined.  "If  I  were  your  only 
child,  I  would  do  as  my  mother  did,  without  mur- 
muring against  the  fate  you  impose  upon  me.  But 
my  sister  and  my  two  brothers  shall  not  die  of 
hunger  or  of  despair  with  you ;  I  promised  her  who 
died  there,"  she  said,  pointing  to  her  mother's  bed. 
"  We  have  concealed  our  sorrows  from  you,  we  have 
suffered  in  silence;  to-day  our  strength  is  exhausted. 
We  are  not  on  the  brink  of  an  abyss,  we  are  in  its 
depths,  father!  To  extricate  ourselves  from  it,  not 
only  must  we  have  courage,  but  our  efforts  must 
not  be  constantly  balked  by  the  caprices  of  a  pas- 
sion— " 

"  My  dear  children!"  cried  Balthazar,  seizing  Mar- 
guerite's hand,  "  I  will  assist  you,  I  will  work,  I — " 

"  Here  is  the  way,"  she  replied,  handing  him  the 
commission. 

"  But,  my  angel,  the  method  that  you  suggest  to 
me  for  making  my  fortune  is  too  slow!  you  force  me 
to  lose  the  fruit  of  ten  years'  toil  and  the  enormous 


THE   QUEST  OF  THE   ABSOLUTE  25 1 

sums  that  my  laboratory  represents.  There,"  he 
said,  pointing  to  the  garret,  "  are  all  our  resources." 

Marguerite  walked  toward  the  door,  saying: 

"  You  must  choose,  father!" 

"  Ah!  you  are  very  hard,  my  daughter!"  he  re- 
plied, sinking  into  a  chair  and  making  no  effort  to 
detain  her. 

The  next  morning,  Marguerite  learned  from  Le- 
mulquinier  that  Monsieur  Claes  had  gone  out.  That 
simple  announcement  made  her  turn  pale,  and  her 
expression  was  so  significant  of  her  anxiety,  that  the 
old  valet  said  to  her: 

"  Don't  be  afraid,  mademoiselle;  monsieur  said 
that  he  would  be  at  home  to  breakfast  at  eleven 
o'clock.  He  didn't  go  to  bed.  At  two  o'clock  this 
morning,  he  was  standing  at  the  parlor  window, 
staring  at  the  roof  of  the  laboratory.  I  was  waiting 
in  the  kitchen  and  saw  him;  he  was  crying,  he  felt 
very  bad.  This  is  the  famous  month  of  July,  when 
the  sun  would  probably  make  us  all  rich;  and  if  you 
were  willing — " 

"Enough!"  observed  Marguerite,  divining  all  the 
thoughts  that  must  have  assailed  her  father. 

In  truth,  the  phenomenon  had  taken  place  in  Bal- 
thazar which  takes  place  in  all  sedentary  persons, 
and  his  life  depended,  so  to  speak,  on  the  places 
with  which  he  was  identified;  his  mind  being  insep- 
arably linked  to  his  house  and  his  laboratory,  they 
had  become  indispensable  to  him,  as  the  Bourse  is  to 
the  speculator,  to  whom  holidays  are  days  thrown 
away.     There   were   his   hopes,   thither  descended 


252  THE  QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE 

from  above  the  only  atmosphere  from  which  his 
lungs  could  draw  the  breath  of  life.  This  attach- 
ment of  mankind  to  places  and  things,  so  powerful 
in  weak  natures,  becomes  almost  tyrannical  in  men 
of  science  and  study.  To  leave  his  house  meant,  in 
Balthazar's  case,  to  renounce  science,  to  renounce 
his  problem — in  a  word,  to  die. 

Marguerite  was  intensely  agitated  until  breakfast- 
time  arrived.  The  scene  which  had  induced  Baltha- 
zar to  try  to  kill  himself  returned  to  her  mind,  and 
she  feared  a  tragic  denouement  to  her  father's  des- 
perate situation.  She  went  in  and  out  of  the  parlor, 
starting  every  time  that  the  door-bell  rang.  At  last, 
Balthazar  returned.  While  he  was  crossing  the 
courtyard,  Marguerite,  who  was  anxiously  studying 
his  face,  detected  no  other  expression  than  that  of 
tempestuous  grief.  When  he  entered  the  parlor, 
she  walked  toward  him  to  wish  him  good-morning; 
he  put  his  arm  affectionately  around  her  waist,  drew 
her  to  his  heart,  kissed  her  on  the  forehead,  and 
whispered  in  her  ear: 

"  I  have  been  to  ask  for  my  passport." 

The  tone  of  her  father's  voice,  his  resigned  ex- 
pression, his -gestures,  everything  combined  to  crush 
the  poor  girl's  heart,  and  she  turned  her  face  away 
to  hide  her  tears;  but,  being  unable  to  repress  them, 
she  went  into  the  garden  and  returned  after  she  had 
wept  to  her  heart's  content.  During  breakfast,  Bal- 
thazar displayed  the  cheerful  humor  of  a  man  who 
has  made  up  his  mind. 

"  So  we  are  to  pay  a  visit  to  Bretagne,  uncle?"  he 


THE  QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE  253 

said  to  Monsieur  Cony  neks.  "  I  have  always  longed 
to  see  that  province." 

"One  can  live  very  cheaply  there,"  replied  the 
old  uncle. 

"  Is  father  going  to  leave  us?"  cried  Felice. 

Monsieur  de  Solis  arrived  with  Jean. 

"  You  can  leave  him  at  home  to-day,"  said  Bal- 
thazar, seating  his  son  by  his  side;  "I  am  going 
away  to-morrow  and  I  want  to  bid  him  good-bye." 

Emmanuel  glanced  at  Marguerite,  who  lowered  her 
eyes.  It  was  a  gloomy  day,  for  one  and  all  were  sad 
and  depressed,  occupied  in  forcing  back  unpleasant 
thoughts  or  tears.  It  was  not  absence  merely,  but 
exile.  They  all  instinctively  appreciated  how  hu- 
miliating it  must  be  for  a  father  to  announce  his 
misfortunes  thus  publicly,  by  accepting  a  distant 
post  and  leaving  his  family,  at  Balthazar's  age. 
He  alone  was  as  great  as  Marguerite  was  firm,  and 
seemed  to  accept  in  a  noble  spirit  that  penance  for 
errors  which  the  frenzy  of  genius  had  caused  him  to 
commit.  When  the  evening  was  at  an  end,  and  the 
father  and  the  daughter  were  alone,  Balthazar,  who 
had  been  as  affectionate  and  loving  all  day  as  he  was 
during  the  happy  days  of  his  patriarchal  life,  held 
out  his  hand  to  Marguerite,  and  said  to  her  in  a  tone 
of  affection  blended  with  despair: 

"Are  you  satisfied  with  your  father?" 

"You  are  worthy  of  him!"  replied  Marguerite, 
pointing  to  a  portrait  of  Van  Claes. 

The  next  morning,  Balthazar,  followed  by  Lemul- 
quinier,  went  up  to  his  laboratory  as  if  to  bid  adieu 


254  THE  QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE 

to  the  hopes  which  he  had  cherished  and  which  his 
unfinished  experiments  represented  to  him  as  still 
alive.  The  master  and  the  servant  exchanged  a  most 
melancholy  glance  as  they  entered  the  garret  which 
they  were  about  to  leave,  perhaps  forever.  Baltha- 
zar gazed  at  the  machines  about  which  his  thoughts 
had  hovered  so  long,  and  each  one  of  which  was 
connected  with  the  memory  of  an  investigation  or 
an  experiment.  With  a  dejected  air,  he  instructed 
Lemulquinier  to  allow  the  gases  and  dangerous  acids 
to  evaporate,  and  to  leave  no  substances  in  close 
proximity  which  might  cause  explosions.  While 
taking  these  precautions,  he  indulged  in  bitter  re- 
grets, like  those  which  a  condemned  man  utters 
before  going  to  the  scaffold. 

"  Here,"  he  said,  stopping  before  a  vessel  in  which 
the  two  wires  of  a  voltaic  battery  were  buried,  "  is 
an  experiment  of  which  we  ought  to  await  the  result. 
If  it  should  succeed — horrible  thought! — my  children 
would  not  drive  from  his  home  a  father  who  cast  dia- 
monds at  their  feet. — Here  is  a  combination  of  car- 
bon and  sulphur,"  he  added,  talking  to  himself,  "  in 
which  the  carbon  plays  the  part  of  electro-positive 
element;  crystallization  must  begin  at  the  negative 
pole;  and  in  case  of  decomposition,  the  carbon 
would  tend  thither  in  a  crystallized  form — " 

"Ah!  that's  how  it  would  be!"  exclaimed  Lemul- 
quinier, gazing  at  his  master  in  admiration. 

"  Now,"  continued  Balthazar,  after  a  pause,  "the 
combination  is  subjected  to  the  action  of  this  battery 
which  may  act — " 


THE   QUEST  OF  THE   ABSOLUTE  255 

"  If  monsieur  wishes,  I  will  increase  its  force — " 

"  No,  no,  we  must  leave  it  as  it  is.  Rest  and  time 
are  conditions  essential  to  crystallization!" 

"Parbleu!  yes,  this  crystallization  must  take  its 
time,"  cried  the  valet. 

"  If  the  temperature  falls,  the  sulphate  of  carbon 
will  crystallize,"  said  Balthazar,  continuing  to  ex- 
press in  fragments  the  vague  thoughts  of  a  medita- 
tion complete  in  his  own  understanding;  "but  if  the 
action  of  the  battery  takes  place  under  certain  con- 
ditions which  I  do  not  know —  We  must  look  out 
for  that — it  is  possible —  But  what  am  1  thinking 
about?  We  have  nothing  more  to  do  with  chem- 
istry, my  good  fellow,  we  are  going  to  collect  taxes 
in  Bretagne." 

Claes  hurriedly  left  the  room  and  went  down  to 
partake  of  a  last  family  breakfast,  at  which  Pier- 
quin  and  Monsieur  de  Solis  were  present.  Balthazar, 
being  eager  to  have  done  with  his  scientific  agony, 
bade  his  children  adieu  and  entered  the  post-chaise 
with  his  uncle;  the  whole  family  accompanied  him  to 
the  door.  There,  when  Marguerite  had  thrown  her 
arms  about  him  in  a  desperate  embrace,  to  which  he 
replied  by  whispering  in  her  ear:  "  You  are  a  good 
girl,  and  I  shall  never  bear  you  any  ill-will,"  she  ran 
across  the  courtyard  and  into  the  parlor,  and  there 
knelt  near  the  spot  where  her  mother  had  died,  and 
offered  up  a  fervent  prayer  to  God  for  strength  to 
perform  the  stern  tasks  of  her  new  life. 


* 


She  was  already  strengthened  by  an  inward  voice 
which  conveyed  to  her  heart  the  applause  of  the 
angels  and  her  mother's  thanks,  when  her  sister 
and  brother,  with  Emmanuel  and  Pierquin,  returned 
after  watching  the  caleche  until  they  could  see  it  no 
longer. 

"  Now,  mademoiselle,  what  do  you  propose  to 
do?"  inquired  Pierquin. 

"Save  the  family,"  she  replied  simply.  "We 
own  nearly  thirteen  hundred  acres  at  Waignies.  It 
is  my  purpose  to  have  all  the  land  cleared,  to  divide 
it  into  farms,  to  build  such  buildings  as  are  necessary 
for  cultivating  it,  and  to  let  it;  and  I  believe  that,  in 
a  few  years,  with  much  economy  and  patience,  each 
one  of  us,"  indicating  her  brother  and  sister,  "will 
have  a  farm  of  four  hundred  and  odd  acres,  which 
will  yield  some  day  about  fifteen  thousand  francs  a 
year.  My  brother  Gabriel  will  keep  for  his  share 
this  house  and  his  investment  in  the  Funds.  Then 
some  day  we  will  give  back  to  our  father  his  prop- 
erty, freed  from  all  incumbrances,  by  applying  our 
income  to  the  payment  of  his  debts." 

"  But,  my  dear  cousin,"  said  the  notary,  as- 
tounded by  Marguerite's  business  understanding  and 
cool,  common  sense,  "  you  will  need  more  than  two 
hundred  thousand  francs  to  clear  your  land,  build 
17  (257) 


258  THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE 

your  farms,  and  buy  cattle.  Where  will  you  obtain 
that  amount  of  money?" 

"That  is  where  my  embarrassments  begin,"  she 
said,  looking  alternately  at  the  notary  and  Monsieur 
de  Solis;  "  I  dare  not  ask  my  uncle  for  it,  as  he  has 
already  deposited  the  security  for  my  father!" 

"You  have  friends!"  exclaimed  Pierquin,  sud- 
denly realizing  that  the  Demoiselles  Claes  might 
still  be  more  than  five- hundred-thousand-franc  girls. 

Emmanuel  de  Solis  gazed  at  Marguerite  with  emo- 
tion, but,  unfortunately  for  himself,  Pierquin  re- 
mained a  notary  in  spite  of  his  enthusiasm,  and 
added: 

"I  offer  you  the  two  hundred  thousand  francs 
myself!" 

Emmanuel  and  Marguerite  took  counsel  together 
with  a  glance  which  was  a  flash  of  light  to  Pierquin. 
Felicie  blushed  hotly,  she  was  so  overjoyed  to  find 
her  cousin  as  generous  as  she  would  have  him.  She 
glanced  at  her  sister,  who  suddenly  divined  that, 
during  her  absence,  the  poor  girl  had  allowed  her- 
self to  be  caught  by  some  of  Pierquin 's  hackneyed 
gallantries. 

"You  need  pay  me  only  five  per  cent,  interest," 
he  added.  "You  can  repay  me  when  you  choose, 
and  give  me  a  mortgage  on  your  land.  But  never 
fear,  you  will  have  to  pay  out  only  the  actual  amount 
of  your  contracts,  for  I  will  find  you  good  farmers, 
and  will  do  your  business  for  nothing,  in  order  to  be 
of  some  assistance  to  you,  like  a  good  kinsman." 

Emmanuel  made  a  sign  to  Marguerite  to  urge  her 


THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE  259 

to  refuse;  but  she  was  too  busily  engaged  in  watch- 
ing the  changes  of  expression  on  her  sister's  face  to 
notice  it.  After  a  pause,  she  looked  at  the  notary, 
with  an  ironical  air,  and  said,  of  her  own  motion,  to 
Emmanuel's  great  delight : 

"You  are  a  very  generous  kinsman,  and  I  ex- 
pected nothing  less  from  you;  but  five  per  cent,  in- 
terest would  delay  our  freedom  too  long;  1  will  wait 
until  my  brother  is  of  age,  and  then  we  will  sell  his 
consols." 

Pierquin  bit  his  lips;  Emmanuel  smiled  gently. 

"  Felicie,  my  dear  girl,  take  Jean  back  to  school, 
and  Martha  will  go  with  you,"  said  Marguerite, 
pointing  to  her  brother.  "Jean,  my  angel,  be  very 
good,  and  don't  tear  your  clothes;  we  are  not  rich 
enough  to  give  you  new  ones  as  often  as  we  would 
like!     Off  with  you,  my  love,  and  study  hard." 

Felicie  went  out  with  her  brother. 

"Cousin,"  said  Marguerite  to  Pierquin,  "and 
you,  monsieur,"  turning  to  Monsieur  de  Solis,  "  I 
have  no  doubt  that  you  came  to  see  my  father  dur- 
ing my  absence?  I  thank  you  for  that  proof  of 
friendship.  Doubtless  you  will  do  as  much  for  two 
poor  girls  who  will  constantly  need  advice.  Let  us 
have  an  understanding  on  the  subject. — When  I  am 
in  town,  I  shall  always  be  more  than  pleased  to 
see  you;  but  when  Felicie  is  alone  with  Josette  and 
Martha,  I  need  not  tell  you  that  she  must  not  receive 
anyone,  even  an  old  friend,  or  the  most  devoted  of 
our  relatives.  In  our  present  circumstances,  our  con- 
duct must  be  discreet  beyond  possibility  of  reproach. 


260  THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE 

We  are  doomed  to  solitude  and  hard  work  for  a  long 
time  to  come." 

Silence  reigned  for  a  few  moments.  Emmanuel,  ab- 
sorbed in  contemplation  of  Marguerite's  face,  seemed 
stricken  with  dumbness;  Pierquindid  not  know  what 
to  say.  The  notary  took  leave  of  his  cousin,  furious 
with  himself ;  he  had  suddenly  discovered  that  Mar- 
guerite loved  Emmanuel,  and  that  he  acted  like  a 
downright  fool. 

"Ah!  Pierquin,  my  boy,"  he  said,  apostrophiz- 
ing himself  in  the  street,  "anybody  who  told  you 
that  you  were  a  great  booby  would  be  quite  right. 
What  a  jackass  I  am!  I  have  an  income  of  twelve 
thousand  francs,  outside  of  my  profession,  to  say 
nothing  of  my  succession  to  my  uncle  Des  Racquets, 
whose  only  heir  I  am,  and  who  will  double  my 
fortune  some  day. — 1  don't  want  him  to  die,  by  the 
way,  for  he's  a  money-saver! — and  I  am  despicable 
enough  to  charge  Mademoiselle  Claes  interest!  I  am 
perfectly  sure  that  they  are  laughing  together  at  me 
now.  I  needn't  think  any  more  of  Marguerite!  No. 
After  all,  Felicie  is  a  sweet,  dear  little  creature, 
much  better  suited  to  me.  Marguerite  has  a  will  of 
iron,  she  would  try  to  rule  me,  and  she  would  rule 
me!  Come,  let  us  be  generous,  let  us  not  be  quite  so 
much  the  notary — for  Heaven's  sake,  can't  I  shake 
off  this  harness?  Deuce  take  it!  I  propose  to  fall  in 
love  with  Felicie,  and  I  won't  budge  from  that  senti- 
ment!— Deuce  take  it!  she'll  have  a  farm  of  four 
hundred  and  thirty  acres,  which  will  be  worth  be- 
tween fifteen   and  twenty  thousand  francs  a  year 


THE   QUEST  OF  THE   ABSOLUTE  261 

before  long,  for  it's  good  land  at  Waignies.  When 
my  uncle  Des  Racquets  dies,  poor  man!  I'll  sell  my 
office,  and  I'll  be  a  fif-ty-thou-sand-francs-a-year 
man.  My  wife  being  a  Claes,  I  shall  be  connected 
with  prominent  families.  Diantre!  we  will  see  if 
the  Courtevilles,  the  Magalhens,  the  Savarons  de 
Savarus,  will  refuse  to  visit  a  Pierquin-Claes-Molina- 
Nourho!  I  will  be  mayor  of  Douai,  I  will  have  the 
Cross,  I  may  be  chosen  deputy,  I  may  attain  any 
height. — Ah!  Pierquin,  my  boy,  stick  to  that,  no 
more  nonsense,  especially  as  Felicie — Mademoiselle 
Felicie  Van  Claes — loves  you,  on  my  word  of 
honor!" 

When  the  two  lovers  were  left  alone,  Emmanuel 
held  out  his  hand  to  Marguerite,  who  could  not  re- 
frain from  putting  her  right  hand  in  it.  They  rose, 
in  obedience  to  a  simultaneous  impulse,  and  started 
to  go  out  to  their  bench  in  the  garden;  but,  in  the 
middle  of  the  parlor,  the  lover  was  unable  to  re- 
strain his  joy,  and,  in  a  voice  trembling  with  emo- 
tion, he  said  to  Marguerite: 

"  I  have  three  hundred  thousand  francs  of  yours!" 

"What!"  she  cried,  "can  it  be  that  my  poor 
mother  placed  any  more  money  in  your  hands? — 
No—     What?" 

"  O  my  Marguerite,  is  not  what  is  mine  yours? 
Were  not  you  the  first  to  say  11s  ?" 

"Dear  Emmanuel!"  she  said,  pressing  the  hand 
which  she  still  held. 

And,  instead  of  going  into  the  garden,  she  threw 
herself  into  a  chair. 


262  THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE 

"Is  it  not  my  place  to  thank  you,  since  you  ac- 
cept?" he  said  in  a  loving  voice. 

"  This  moment,  my  best  beloved,"  she  answered, 
"wipes  out  many  sorrows,  and  brings  a  happy 
future  nearer!  Yes,  I  accept  your  fortune,"  she 
continued,  while  an  angelic  smile  played  about  her 
lips,  "  I  know  a  way  to  make  it  mine." 

She  glanced  at  the  portrait  of  Van  Claes,  as  if  to 
invoke  a  witness.  The  young  man,  who  was  fol- 
lowing her  glance,  did  not  see  her  take  from  her 
finger  a  ring,  and  did  not  notice  her  gesture  until  he 
heard  these  words: 

"  In  the  midst  of  our  greatest  misery,  one  joy 
stands  forth.  My  father,  through  indifference, 
leaves  me  free  to  dispose  of  myself,"  she  said, 
offering  him  the  ring.  "  Take  it,  Emmanuel  !  my 
mother  loved  you,  she  would  have  chosen  you." 

Tears  came  to  Emmanuel's  eyes,  he  turned  pale, 
fell  upon  his  knees,  and  said  to  Marguerite,  as  he 
gave  her  a  ring  which  he  always  wore: 

"This  is  my  mother's  wedding-ring!  my  own 
Marguerite,"  he  added,  kissing  the  ring  she  had 
given  him,  "am  I  to  have  no  other  pledge  than 
this?" 

She  stooped  to  put  her  forehead  to  Emmanuel's 
lips. 

"Alas!  my  poor  love,  are  we  not  doing  some- 
thing that  we  ought  not  to  do?"  she  said,  deeply 
moved;  "for  we  shall  have  to  wait  a  long  while." 

"My  uncle  used  to  say  that  adoration  was  the 
daily  bread  of  patience,  speaking  of  the  Christian 


THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE  263 

who  loves  God ;  I  may  love  you  so,  for  I  have  long 
confounded  you  with  the  Lord  in  all  my  thoughts;  1 
am  yours,  as  I  am  His." 

They  sat  for  some  moments,  absorbed  in  the 
sweetest,  most  exalted  reflections.  It  was  the  sin- 
cere and  calm  outpouring  of  sentiment  which,  like  a 
too  full  spring,  overflowed  in  a  constant  succession 
of  little  waves.  The  circumstances  that  separated 
them  were  a  cause  of  melancholy  which  made  their 
joy  the  keener,  imparting  to  it  a  something  poignant, 
like  pain.  Felicie  returned  too  soon  for  them.  Em- 
manuel, guided  by  the  delicate  tact  which  enables 
one  in  love  to  divine  everything,  left  the  two  sisters 
alone,  after  exchanging  a  glance  with  Marguerite  in 
which  she  could  read  how  much  that  discretion  cost 
him,  for  by  it  he  told  her  how  thirsty  he  was  for  the 
happiness  he  had  so  long  craved,  and  which  had  just 
been  sanctified  by  the  betrothal  of  their  hearts. 

"Come  this  way,  little  sister,"  said  Marguerite, 
putting  her  arm  around  Felicie's  neck. 

She  led  her  into  the  garden,  and  they  seated  them- 
selves on  the  bench  to  which  each  succeeding  gen- 
eration had  confided  its  words  of  love,  its  sighs  of 
sorrow,  its  meditations,  and  its  projects.  Despite 
her  sister's  cheerful  manner  and  her  amiable,  cajol- 
ing smile,  Felicie  felt  a  sensation  which  resembled  a 
thrill  of  fear.  Marguerite  took  her  hand  and  felt  that 
it  was  trembling. 

"  Mademoiselle  Felicie,"  she  said,  putting  her  lips 
to  her  sister's  ear,  "  I  can  read  your  heart.  Pier- 
quin  has  been  here  often  during  my  absence,  he  has 


264  THE   QUEST  OF  THE   ABSOLUTE 

called  every  evening,  he  has  said  soft  words  to  you 
and  you  have  listened  to  them." 

Felicie  blushed. 

"  Don't  excuse  yourself,  my  angel,"  continued 
Marguerite,  "it  is  so  natural  to  love!  Perhaps  your 
dear  heart  will  change  our  cousin's  nature  a  little; 
he  is  egotistical,  selfish,  but  he  is  an  honest  man, 
and  doubtless  his  very  defects  will  be  of  advantage 
to  your  happiness.  He  will  love  you  as  the  most 
attractive  of  his  belongings,  you  will  be  part  of  his 
business.  Forgive  me  for  saying  that,  dear  love! 
you  will  cure  him  of  the  wretched  habit  he  has  ac- 
quired of  seeing  nothing  but  interest  anywhere,  by 
giving  him  instruction  in  the  business  of  the  heart." 

Felicie  could  only  embrace  her  sister. 

"Moreover,"  continued  Marguerite,  "he  is  rich. 
His  family  belongs  to  the  oldest  and  most  respectable 
bourgeoisie.  Am  1  the  one  to  stand  in  the  way  of 
your  happiness,  if  you  choose  to  find  it  in  a  mediocre 
station?" 

"  Dear  sister!"  ejaculated  Felicie. 

"Oh!  you  can  confide  in  me!"  cried  Marguerite. 
"  What  could  be  more  natural  than  for  us  to  tell 
each  other  our  secrets?" 

Those  cordial  words  led  to  one  of  those  delightful 
chats  in  which  girls  tell  one  another  everything. 
When  Marguerite,  whom  love  had  made  expert, 
realized  the  state  of  Felicie's  heart,  she  said  to  her 
in  conclusion: 

"Well,  my  dear  child,  let  us  make  sure  that  our 
cousin  really  loves  you;  and  then — " 


THE  QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE  265 

"Let  me  alone,"  laughed  Felicie,  "I  have  my 
models." 

"Silly  girl!"  said  Marguerite,  kissing  her  on  the 
forehead. 

Although  Pierquin  was  one  of  those  men  who  see 
in  marriage  obligations  to  be  undertaken,  the  execu- 
tion  of  the  laws  of  society,  and  a  method  of  providing 
for  the  transmission  of  property;  although  it  was  a 
matter  of  indifference  to  him  whether  he  married 
Felicie  or  Marguerite,  so  long  as  they  bore  the  same 
name  and  had  the  same  dowry,  he  discovered,  never- 
theless, that  they  were  both,  according  to  an  expres- 
sion of  his,  romantic  and  sentimental  girls,  adjectives 
which  heartless  persons  employ  in  scorn  of  the  gifts 
which  nature  sows  with  parsimonious  hand  in  the 
furrows  of  mankind;  the  notary  said  to  himself, 
doubtless,  that  he  must  howl  with  the  wolves,  for 
he  went  the  next  day  to  see  Marguerite,  led  her 
with  an  affectation  of  mystery  into  the  little  garden, 
and  began  to  talk  sentiment,  that  being  one  of  the 
clauses  of  the  preliminary  contract,  which,  accord- 
ing to  the  laws  of  society,  must  precede  the  notarial 
contract. 

"  Dear  cousin,"  he  said,  "  we  have  not  always 
been  of  the  same  opinion  concerning  the  methods  to 
be  adopted  to  reach  a  fortunate  adjustment  of  your 
affairs;  but  you  must  recognize  to-day  that  I  have 
always  been  guided  by  an  earnest  desire  to  be  of 
service  to  you.  Very  well;  yesterday,  I  spoiled  my 
offer  of  assistance  by  virtue  of  a  fatal  habit  due  to 
the  notarial  mind — do  you  understand?     My  heart 


266  THE  QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE 

was  not  accessory  to  my  stupidity.  I  have  loved 
you  dearly;  but  we  have  more  or  less  perspicacity, 
we  lawyers,  and  I  have  discovered  that  I  am  not 
attractive  to  you.  It  is  my  own  fault!  another  has 
been  cleverer  than  I.  Very  good;  I  have  come  to 
confess  to  you  in  all  simplicity  that  I  have  a  genuine 
affection  for  your  sister  Felicie.  Look  upon  me, 
therefore,  as  a  brother!  draw  upon  my  purse,  ay, 
take  it!  the  more  you  take,  the  more  thoroughly 
you  will  prove  your  friendship  for  me.  I  am  en- 
tirely at  your  service,  without  interest,  you  under- 
stand— neither  at  twelve  nor  at  one-quarter  per 
cent.  Let  me  be  found  worthy  of  Felicie,  and  I 
shall  be  content.  Forgive  my  faults,  they  are  due 
entirely  to  the  practice  of  my  profession;  my  heart 
is  all  right,  and  I  would  throw  myself  into  the  Scarpe 
rather  than  fail  to  make  my  wife  happy." 

"  That  is  as  it  should  be,  cousin!"  said  Marguerite; 
"  but  my  sister's  fate  depends  upon  herself  and  our 
father." 

"  I  know  that,  my  dear  cousin,"  rejoined  the 
notary;  "  but  you  are  the  mother  of  the  whole 
family,  and  I  have  nothing  more  at  heart  than  to 
make  you  the  judge  of  mine." 

This  remark  is  sufficiently  illustrative  of  the 
worthy  notary's  wit.  At  a  later  period,  Pierquin 
became  famous  by  reason  of  his  reply  to  the  com- 
manding officer  of  the  camp  at  Saint-Omer,  who  had 
invited  him  to  be  present  at  a  military  f£te;  which 
reply  was  thus  conceived:  "  Monsieur  Pierquin- 
Claes   de    Molina-Nourho,    mayor    of    the   town   of 


THE  QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE  267 

Douai,  chevalier  of  the  Legion  of  Honor,  will  have 
that*  of  accepting,"  etc.,  etc. 

Marguerite  accepted  the  notary's  assistance,  but 
only  in  those  matters  which  concerned  his  profes- 
sion, in  order  to  avoid  compromising  in  any  way 
her  womanly  dignity,  or  her  sister's  future,  or  her 
father's  actions.  On  that  same  day,  she  gave  her 
sister  into  the  charge  of  Josette  and  Martha,  who 
were  devoted  body  and  soul  to  their  young  mistress, 
and  seconded  her  heartily  in  her  economical  plans. 
Marguerite  started  at  once  for  Waignies,  where  she 
began  her  operations,  which  were  shrewdly  managed 
by  Pierquin.  The  notary's  mind  had  figured  out 
that  devotion  to  his  cousins  would  be  an  excellent 
speculation;  his  labors,  his  oversight,  were,  there- 
fore, in  a  certain  sense,  an  outlay  in  which  he  did 
not  choose  to  be  niggardly. 

In  the  first  place,  he  tried  to  save  Marguerite  the 
trouble  of  clearing  and  ploughing  the  land  intended  for 
farming  purposes.  He  thought  of  three  young  men, 
sons  of  rich  farmers,  who  wished  to  set  up  establish- 
ments of  their  own,  he  allured  them  by  the  prospects 
offered  by  the  fertility  of  the  soil,  and  succeeded  in 
inducing  them  to  take  leases  of  the  three  farms 
which  were  to  be  laid  out.  In  consideration  of  a 
waiver  of  rent  for  three  years,  the  farmers  agreed 
to  pay  ten  thousand  francs  the  fourth  year,  twelve 
thousand  the  sixth,  and  fifteen  thousand  during  the 
remainder  of  the  lease,  to  dig  the  ditches,  to  lay 
out  the  farms,  and  to  buy  the  cattle.     While  the 

♦That  is  to  say,  "  the  honor." 


268  THE   QUEST  OF  THE   ABSOLUTE 

farm-houses  were  building,  the  farmers  cleared  the 
stumps  from  their  land. 

Four  years  after  Balthazar's  departure,  Margue- 
rite had  almost  restored  the  fortunes  of  her  brother 
and  sister.  Two  hundred  thousand  sufficed  to  erect 
all  the  buildings.  The  brave-hearted  girl,  whose 
conduct  aroused  the  admiration  of  the  whole  town, 
lacked  neither  assistance  nor  advice.  She  superin- 
tended the  construction  of  her  buildings,  the  execu- 
tion of  her  contracts  and  leases,  with  the  good  sense, 
the  energy,  the  perseverance,  which  women  know 
how  to  put  forth  when  they  are  actuated  by  a  noble 
sentiment.  In  the  fifth  year,  she  was  able  to  devote 
the  thirty  thousand  francs  yielded  by  the  farms,  her 
brother's  consols,  and  her  father's  property  to  a 
payment  on  the  principal  of  the  mortgages,  and  to 
repairing  the  injury  which  Balthazar's  passion  had 
inflicted  on  the  family.  The  redemption  proceeded 
rapidly  thenceforth  by  reason  of  the  diminution  of 
the  interest.  Moreover,  Emmanuel  de  Solis  offered 
Marguerite  the  hundred  thousand  remaining  to  him 
from  his  uncle's  inheritance,  which  she  did  not  use 
at  once,  but  added  to  it  about  twenty  thousand  of 
her  own  savings,  so  that,  in  the  third  year  of  her 
management,  she  was  able  to  pay  debts  to  a  consid- 
erable amount.  That  life  of  courage,  of  privations 
and  devotion,  suffered  no  break  for  five  years;  on  the 
contrary,  everything  was  successful  and  triumphant 
under  Marguerite's  administration  and  influence. 

Gabriel,  having  become  an  engineer  in  the  De- 
partment  of   Roads    and    Bridges,    assisted    by    his 


THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE  269 

granduncle,  made  his  fortune  rapidly  in  managing 
a  canal  which  he  built,  and  he  succeeded  in  winning 
the  affections  of  his  cousin  Mademoiselle  Conyncks, 
who  was  adored  by  her  father,  and  was  one  of  the 
richest  heiresses  in  the  two  Flanders.  In  1824,  the 
Claes  property  was  free  from  incumbrances,  and 
the  family  on  Rue  de  Paris  had  repaired  its  losses. 
Pierquin  made  formal  application  to  Balthazar  for 
Felice's  hand,  as  Emmanuel  de  Solis  did  for  Mar- 
guerite's. 


* 


Early  in  January,  1825,  Marguerite  and  Monsieur 
Conyncks  went  to  bring  home  the  exiled  father, 
whose  return  was  earnestly  desired  by  all,  and  who 
had  resigned  his  post  in  order  to  end  his  life  in  the 
bosom  of  his  family,  whose  happiness  was  about  to 
receive  the  seal  of  his  sanction.  In  the  absence  of 
Marguerite,  who  had  often  expressed  her  regret  at 
her  inability  to  fill  the  empty  frames  in  the  gallery 
and  reception-rooms,  by  the  day  on  which  her  father 
would  resume  possession  of  his  house,  Pierquin  and 
Monsieur  de  Solis  plotted  with  Felicie  to  prepare  a  sur- 
prise for  Marguerite,  which  would  enable  the  younger 
sister  to  have  a  hand,  in  a  certain  sense,  in  the  resto- 
ration of  Claes  House.  Together  they  had  purchased 
for  Felicie  several  fine  pictures,  which  they  presented 
to  her  to  adorn  her  gallery.  Monsieur  Conyncks 
had  had  the  same  idea.  Desirous  of  testifying  to 
Marguerite  the  satisfaction  he  derived  from  her  noble 
conduct,  and  her  devotion  in  carrying  out  the  man- 
date her  mother  had  bequeathed  to  her,  he  had  taken 
measures  to  have  some  fifty  of  his  finest  pictures 
brought  to  Douai,  together  with  some  of  those  Bal- 
thazar had  sold,  so  that  the  Claes  gallery  was 
entirely  refurnished. 

Marguerite  had  already  been  several  times  to  see 
her  father,  accompanied  by  her  sister  or  by  Jean; 

(271) 


272  THE  QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE 

each  time  she  had  found  him  more  changed;   but, 
since  her  last  visit,  old  age  had  made  itself  manifest 
in  Balthazar  by  alarming  symptoms,  to  which,  doubt- 
less, the  parsimonious  mode  of  life  adopted  by  him, 
to  enable  him  to  devote  the  larger  part  of  his  salary 
to  experiments  which  always  betrayed   his  hopes, 
had   largely   contributed.      Although    he   was   only 
sixty -five  years  old,  he  had  the  aspect  of  an  octo- 
genarian.    His  eyes  were  deeply  imbedded  in  their 
sockets,   his  eyebrows  had  turned  white,   he   had 
only  a  few  scanty  hairs  around  the  lower  part  of 
his  head;  he  had  let  his  beard  grow,  and  cut  it  with 
scissors  when  it  got  in  his  way;  he  was  as  bent  as 
an  old  vine-dresser;  and  the  disordered  state  of  his 
clothes  was  augmented  by  a  suggestion  of  poverty 
which    his    decrepitude    made    hideous.      Although 
vigorous  thoughts  still    animated    that    noble   face, 
whose  features  could  no  longer  be  seen  for  wrin- 
kles, the  fixed  stare  of  the  eyes,  an  expression  of 
desperation,  of   constant  unrest,  engraved   thereon 
the  indications  of  insanity,  or  rather  of  all  forms  of 
insanity  together.     Sometimes  there  appeared  upon 
it  a  gleam  of  hope  which  gave  Balthazar  the  aspect 
of  a  monomaniac;  sometimes  impatience  at  his  in- 
ability to  discover  a  secret  which  danced  before  him 
like  a  will-o'-the-wisp,  imprinted  there  the  symptoms 
of  raving  madness;  then  a  sudden  roar  of  laughter 
would   suggest  lunacy;  but,  most  of  the  time,  the 
most  complete  prostration  would  reduce  all  the  grada- 
tions of  his  passion  to  the  lifeless  melancholy  of  the 
idiot.     Fleeting  or  imperceptible  as  these  indications 


THE   QUEST  OF  THE   ABSOLUTE  273 

may  have  been  to  strangers,  they  were  unhappily 
only  too  evident  to  those  who  once  knew  a  Claes 
sublime  in  his  kindness  and  in  the  noble  qualities  of 
his  heart,  and  handsome  of  face — a  Claes  of  whom 
only  faint  traces  remained. 

Lemulquinier,  aged  and  exhausted,  like  his  mas- 
ter, by  constant  toil,  had  not,  like  him,  been  forced  to 
undergo  the  fatigues  of  thought;  so  that  his  face  pre- 
sented a  singular  mixture  of  anxiety  and  admiration 
for  his  master,  which  it  was  easy  to  misunderstand  ; 
although  he  listened  with  all  respect  to  his  lightest 
words,  although,  too,  he  followed  his  slightest  move- 
ments with  a  sort  of  loving  affection,  he  took  care  of 
the  scientist  as  a  mother  takes  care  of  a  child;  fre- 
quently he  affected  a  protecting  air,  because  he  did 
really  protect  him  in  respect  to  the  commonplace 
necessities  of  life,  of  which  Balthazar  never  thought. 
Those  two  old  men,  enveloped  by  a  single  idea,  trust- 
ing in  the  reality  of  their  hope,  inspired  by  the  same 
breath,  one  representing  the  outer  envelope,  the 
other  the  soul  of  their  common  existence,  presented 
a  spectacle  at  once  ghastly  and  affecting. 

When  Marguerite  and  Monsieur  Conyncks  arrived, 
they  found  Claes  established  at  an  inn;  his  successor 
had  not  delayed,  and  had  already  taken  possession 
of  his  post.  Amid  the  preoccupations  of  science, 
Balthazar  had  an  earnest  wish  to  see  his  native 
province,  his  house,  and  his  family  once  more;  his 
daughter's  letter  had  described  the  fortunate  turn  of 
affairs;  he  was  thinking  of  crowning  his  career  by  a 
series  of  experiments  which  would  surely  lead  him 
18 


274  THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE 

at  last  to  the  solution  of  his  problem;  so  he  was 
awaiting  Marguerite  with  excessive  impatience. 

The  young  woman  threw  herself  into  her  father's 
arms,  weeping  for  joy.  She  had  come  this  time  to 
seek  the  reward  of  a  sorrowful  life,  and  forgiveness 
for  her  domestic  triumph.  She  felt  that  she  was 
culpable  after  the  manner  of  great  men  who  violate 
the  liberties  of  their  fellow-men  in  order  to  save 
their  country.  But,  when  she  looked  at  her  father, 
she  shuddered  as  she  realized  the  change  that  had 
taken  place  in  him  since  her  last  visit.  Conyncks 
shared  his  niece's  secret  alarm,  and  insisted  upon 
taking  his  cousin  away  as  speedily  as  possible  to 
Douai,  where  the  influence  of  his  native  province 
might  restore  him  to  reason  and  health,  by  restoring 
him  to  a  happy  life  under  his  own  roof. 

After  the  first  outpourings  of  the  heart,  which 
were  more  earnest  on  Balthazar's  part  than  Mar- 
guerite expected,  he  was  strangely  assiduous  in  his 
attentions  to  her:  he  expressed  regret  at  having  to 
receive  her  in  a  wretched  room  in  a  public-house, 
inquired  concerning  her  tastes,  and  asked  her  what 
she  would  like  to  eat,  with  the  eager  zeal  of  a  lover; 
in  a  word,  he  behaved  like  a  culprit  who  wishes 
to  make  sure  of  his  judge's  goodwill.  Marguerite 
knew  her  father  so  well  that  she  divined  the  mo- 
tive of  that  display  of  affection,  concluding  that 
he  must  have  divers  debts  in  the  town  which  he 
wished  to  pay  before  taking  his  departure.  She 
watched  her  father  closely  for  some  time,  and  saw 
the  human  heart  laid  bare.     Balthazar  had  grown 


THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE  275 

smaller.  The  consciousness  of  his  degradation,  the 
isolation  due  to  his  passion  for  science,  had  made 
him  timid  and  childish  in  reference  to  all  matters  not 
connected  with  his  favorite  occupations;  his  oldest 
daughter  awed  him ;  the  remembrance  of  her  past 
devotion,  of  the  strength  she  had  displayed,  the  con- 
sciousness of  the  authority  he  had  allowed  her  to 
assume,  the  fortune  that  she  had  at  her  disposal,  and 
the  indescribable  sensations  which  had  taken  pos- 
session of  him  from  the  day  when  he  renounced  his 
already  compromised  paternal  authority,  had  doubt- 
less magnified  her  in  his  eyes  from  day  to  day. 
Conyncks  seemed  to  be  of  no  consequence  in  Bal- 
thazar's eyes,  he  saw  only  his  daughter,  and  thought 
only  of  her,  apparently  standing  in  awe  of  her  as 
some  weak  husbands  stand  in  awe  of  the  superior 
women  who  have  subjugated  them;  when  he  raised 
his  eyes  to  her  face,  Marguerite  was  pained  to  detect 
in  them  an  expression  of  dread,  like  that  of  a  child 
who  is  conscious  of  having  been  naughty.  The 
noble-hearted  girl  could  not  reconcile  the  majestic 
and  awe-inspiring  aspect  of  that  head,  ravaged  by 
learning  and  toil,  with  the  puerile  smile,  with  the 
ingenuous  servility  depicted  on  Balthazar's  lips  and 
face.  She  was  hurt  by  the  contrast  between  that 
grandeur  and  that  pettiness,  and  promised  herself 
that  she  would  exert  all  her  influence  to  restore  to 
her  father  all  his  former  dignity,  for  the  solemn  day 
when  he  would  reappear  in  the  bosom  of  his  family. 
First  of  all,  she  took  advantage  of  a  moment  when 
they  were  alone,  to  whisper: 


276  THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE 

"  Do  you  owe  anything  here?" 

Balthazar  blushed,  and  replied  with  an  embar- 
rassed air: 

"I  do  not  know,  but  Lemulquinier  will  tell  you. 
That  excellent  fellow  is  better  acquainted  with  my 
affairs  than  I  am  myself." 

Marguerite  rang  for  the  valet,  and  when  he  came, 
she  studied,  almost  involuntarily,  the  faces  of  the 
two  old  men. 

"Does  monsieur  wish  anything?"  Lemulquinier 
asked. 

Marguerite,  who  was  all  pride  and  high-minded- 
ness,  felt  her  heart  sink  when  she  detected  in  the 
valet's  tone  and  manner  an  indication  that  a  harmful 
familiarity  existed  between  the  master  and  his  com- 
panion in  work. 

"  Cannot  my  father  calculate  what  he  owes  in 
this  place,  without  your  assistance?"  she  said. 

"Monsieur,"  replied  Lemulquinier,  "owes — " 

As  he  spoke,  Balthazar  made  a  sign  to  him,  which 
Marguerite  saw  and  which  humiliated  her. 

"  Tell  me  the  whole  amount  of  what  my  father 
owes,"  she  cried. 

"  Monsieur  owes  three  or  four  thousand  francs  to 
a  wholesale  druggist  who  has  supplied  us  with  caus- 
tic potash,  lead,  zinc,  and  reagents." 

"  Is  that  all?"  Marguerite  demanded. 

Balthazar  made  an  affirmative  sign  to  Lemulqui- 
nier, who,  as  if  fascinated  by  his  master,  replied: 

"Yes,  mademoiselle." 

"  Very  well,  I  will  hand  you  the  money." 


THE  QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE  277 

Balthazar  joyfully  embraced  his  daughter. 

"You  are  angelic  to  me,  my  child,"  he  said;  and 
he  breathed  more  freely,  looking  at  her  with  a 
less  dejected  eye;  but,  notwithstanding  his  delight, 
Marguerite  readily  detected  indications  of  profound 
anxiety  on  his  face,  and  concluded  that  the  three 
thousand  francs  was  simply  the  amount  of  the  press- 
ing debts  of  the  laboratory. 

"Be  frank  with  me,  father,"  she  said,  allowing 
him  to  take  her  on  his  knees,  "  you  owe  something 
more,  do  you  not?  Tell  me  everything,  return  to 
your  house  without  retaining  a  shadow  of  a  cause 
for  dread  amid  the  general  rejoicing." 

"My  dear  Marguerite,"  he  replied,  taking  her 
hands  and  kissing  them  with  a  courtly  grace  which 
seemed  to  be  a  souvenir  of  his  youth,  "  you  will  not 
scold  me?" 

"No,"  she  said. 

"  Really?"  and  his  face  lighted  up  with  an  expres- 
sion of  childish  glee;  "then  I  can  tell  you  every- 
thing, and  you  will  pay?" 

"  Yes,"  she  said,  repressing  the  tears  that  rose  to 
her  eyes. 

"  Well,  then,  I  owe—     Oh!  I  dare  not—" 

"Yes,  tell  me,  father." 

"It's  a  good  deal,"  he  replied. 

She  clasped  her  hands  with  a  gesture  of  de- 
spair. 

"I  owe  Messieurs  Protez  and  Chiffreville  thirty 
thousand  francs." 

"  Thirty  thousand   francs   is  the   amount  of  my 


278  THE  QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE 

savings;  but  I  am  glad  to  give  it  to  you,"  she  said, 
kissing  his  forehead  with  respect. 

He  rose,  took  her  in  his  arms,  and  walked  round 
and  round  the  room,  tossing  her  up  and  down  like  a 
baby;  then  he  set  her  down  in  the  chair  from  which 
he  had  taken  her,  exclaiming: 

"  My  dear  child,  you  are  a  treasure  of  love!  Life 
had  no  pleasures  for  me.  The  Chiffrevilles  have 
already  written  me  three  threatening  letters  and  are 
on  the  point  of  suing  me,  me  through  whom  they 
have  made  a  fortune." 

"Father,"  said  Marguerite,  sadly,  "are  you  still 
searching?" 

"Still!"  he  said,  with  a  madman's  smile.  "I 
shall  find,  too!     If  you  knew  how  near  we  are!" 

"  Who  are  we?" 

"1  mean  Mulquinier;  he  has  finally  understood 
me,  and  is  of  great  assistance  to  me. — Poor  fellow, 
he  is  so  devoted  to  me!" 

Conyncks  entered  the  room  and  interrupted  the 
conversation.  Marguerite  motioned  to  her  father  to 
be  silent,  fearing  that  he  would  lower  himself  in  her 
uncle's  eyes.  She  was  terrified  at  the  ravages  made 
by  his  absorbing  preoccupation  in  that  powerful  in- 
tellect, engrossed  in  the  search  for  the  solution  of  a 
problem  that  was  probably  insoluble.  Balthazar, 
who  evidently  saw  nothing  beyond  his  furnaces, 
had  no  suspicion  that  his  property  had  been  cleared 
of  incumbrances. 

They  started  for  Flanders  the  next  day.  The 
journey  was  long  enough  to  enable  Marguerite  to 


THE  QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE  279 

obtain  a  somewhat  confused  idea  of  the  relative 
situations  of  her  father  and  Lemulquinier.  Had  the 
valet  acquired  that  ascendency  over  his  master 
which  uneducated  minds  are  able  to  acquire  over 
the  greatest  intellects  when  they  feel  that  they  are 
necessary  to  them,  and  by  virtue  of  which  they  go 
on  from  concession  to  concession  toward  absolute 
domination,  with  the  persistency  born  of  a  fixed 
idea?  Or  had  the  master  conceived  for  the  valet 
that  species  of  affection  which  is  born  of  habit,  and 
resembles  the  affection  of  a  mechanic  for  the  crea- 
tive instrument,  of  an  Arab  for  the  steed  which 
bears  him  to  freedom?  Marguerite  watched  closely 
for  facts  which  would  enable  her  to  decide,  deter- 
mined to  free  Balthazar  from  a  humiliating  yoke  if 
it  were  a  real  one. 

They  passed  through  Paris  and  tarried  there  a 
few  days  while  she  paid  her  father's  debts  and  re- 
quested the  manufacturers  of  chemicals  to  send 
nothing  to  Douai  without  first  advising  her  of  her 
father's  orders.  She  induced  her  father  to  change 
his  style  of  dress  and  to  adopt  such  habits  with 
regard  to  his  toilet  as  became  a  man  of  his  rank. 
This  corporeal  rehabilitation  imparted  to  Balthazar 
a  sort  of  physical  dignity  which  augured  well  for  a 
change  in  his  habits  of  thought.  Soon  his  daughter, 
exulting  in  anticipation  of  all  the  surprises  which 
awaited  her  father  in  his  own  house,  started  from 
Paris  for  Douai. 

Three  leagues  from  that  town,  Balthazar  met  his 
daughter  Felicie  on  horseback,  escorted  by  her  two 


280  THE  QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE 

brothers,  by  Emmanuel,  Pierquin,  and  the  intimate 
friends  of  the  three  families.  The  journey  had 
necessarily  led  the  chemist's  mind  away  from  his 
usual  thoughts,  and  the  sight  of  Flanders  had  had 
its  effect  upon  his  heart;  and  so,  when  he  spied  the 
joyous  procession  formed  by  his  family  and  his 
friends,  his  emotion  was  so  keen  that  his  eyes  filled 
with  tears,  his  eyelids  became  red,  his  voice  trem- 
bled, and  he  embraced  his  children  so  passionately, 
unable  to  take  his  arms  from  their  necks,  that  the 
spectators  were  moved  to  tears.  When  his  eyes 
fell  upon  his  house,  he  turned  pale,  jumped  from 
the  carriage  with  the  agility  of  a  young  man,  in- 
haled the  air  in  the  courtyard  with  ecstasy,  and 
began  to  inspect  the  most  trifling  details  with  a 
pleasure  which  overflowed  in  his  gestures;  he  stood 
erect,  and  his  face  became  young  once  more.  When 
he  entered  the  parlor,  his  eyes  filled  with  tears  as  he 
realized,  by  the  exactness  with  which  his  daughter 
had  reproduced  his  old  silver  candlesticks,  which 
he  had  sold,  that  the  family  disasters  must  be  entirely 
repaired. 

A  splendid  breakfast  was  served  in  the  dining- 
room,  where  the  sideboards  were  covered  with 
silverware  and  curios,  at  least  equal  in  value  to 
those  which  had  formerly  embellished  them.  Al- 
though that  family  repast  lasted  a  long  while,  it 
was  hardly  long  enough  for  the  extended  narratives 
which  Balthazar  required  from  each  of  his  children. 
The  shock  inflicted  upon  his  mental  organization  by 
that  home-coming  caused  him  to  share  the  joy  of  his 


THE   QUEST  OF  THE   ABSOLUTE  281 

family,  and  he  appeared  the  father  in  very  truth. 
His  manners  resumed  their  former  noble  dignity.  At 
first,  he  thought  of  nothing  but  the  enjoyment  of  pos- 
session, paying  no  heed  to  the  methods  by  which  he 
recovered  all  that  he  had  lost.  His  pleasure,  there- 
fore, was  complete  and  without  alloy.  The  break- 
fast at  an  end,  the  four  children,  their  father,  and 
Pierquin,  the  notary,  adjourned  to  the  parlor,  where 
Balthazar  saw,  not  without  some  uneasiness,  a  pile  of 
stamped  papers  which  a  clerk  had  placed  on  a  table 
beside  which  he  stood,  as  if  to  assist  his  master. 
The  children  seated  themselves,  and  Balthazar,  in 
his  surprise,  remained  standing  by  the  fireplace. 

"  This,"  said  Pierquin,  "  is  the  account  of  his  guar- 
dianship rendered  by  Monsieur  Claes  to  his  children. 
It  probably  is  not  a  very  entertaining  document,"  he 
added,  laughing  after  the  manner  of  notaries,  who 
generally  assume  a  jesting  tone  in  which  to  speak  of 
the  most  serious  affairs,  "  but  it  is  absolutely  neces- 
sary that  you  should  listen  to  me." 

Although  the  circumstances  justified  that  state- 
ment, Monsieur  Claes,  whose  conscience  reminded 
him  of  his  past,  accepted  it  as  a  reproach  and 
frowned.  The  clerk  began  the  reading.  Baltha- 
zar's amazement  increased  as  he  proceeded.  The 
document  set  forth,  in  the  first  place,  that  his  wife's 
fortune  at  her  death  amounted  to  about  sixteen  hun- 
dred thousand  francs,  and  the  concluding  sentences 
clearly  assigned  to  each  of  the  children  his  or  her 
share  of  the  property  unimpaired,  and  as  well  ad- 
ministered as  a  kind  and  generous  father  could  have 


282  THE  QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE 

administered  it.  The  result  was  that  the  house  was 
entirely  free  from  incumbrances,  that  Balthazar 
was  in  every  sense  at  home,  and  that  his  property 
in  the  country  was  also  free. 

When  the  various  documents  were  signed,  Pier- 
quin  presented  receipts  for  the  sums  borrowed,  and 
releases  of  the  mortgages  upon  the  property.  There- 
upon, Balthazar,  who  was  restored  at  the  same  mo- 
ment to  the  name  of  a  man  of  honor,  the  life  of  a 
father,  and  the  consideration  of  a  citizen,  sank  into 
a  chair;  he  looked  about  for  Marguerite,  who,  with 
the  sublime  delicacy  characteristic  of  woman,  had 
absented  herself  during  the  reading,  to  see  if  all 
her  instructions  for  the  fete  had  been  carried  out. 
Every  member  of  the  family  understood  the  old 
man's  thought  when  his  eyes,  dimmed  with  tears, 
asked  for  his  daughter,  whom  one  and  all  saw  at 
that  moment,  with  the  eyes  of  the  soul,  as  an  angel 
of  strength  and  light.  Gabriel  went  to  find  her. 
When  he  heard  his  daughter's  step,  Balthazar  ran 
to  meet  her,  and  pressed  her  to  his  heart. 

"  Father,"  she  said  to  him,  at  the  foot  of  the 
stairs,  where  the  old  man  seized  her,  "  do  not,  I  beg 
of  you,  relax  in  any  respect  your  consecrated  au- 
thority. Thank  me,  before  the  family,  for  having 
carried  out  your  intentions,  and  thus  be  the  sole 
author  of  whatever  good  may  have  been  done  here." 

Balthazar  raised  his  eyes  to  heaven,  gazed  at  his 
daughter,  folded  his  arms,  and  said,  after  a  pause, 
during  which  his  face  took  on  an  expression  which 
his  children  had  not  seen  for  ten  years: 


THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE  283 

"Why  are  you  not  here,  Pepita,  to  admire  our 
child!"  J 

He  clasped  Marguerite  to  him,  and,  unable  to  utter 
a  word,  returned  to  the  parlor. 

"My  children,"  he  said,  with  the  noble  bearing 
that  made  him  formerly  one  of  the  most  imposing 
of  men,  "we  all  owe  thanks  and  gratitude  to  my 
daughter  Marguerite  for  the  wisdom  and  courage 
with  which  she  carried  out  my  intentions  and  ex- 
ecuted my  projects,  when  I,  too  deeply  absorbed  in 
my  scientific  labors,  placed  in  her  hands  the  reins 
of  our  domestic  affairs." 

"  Well,  now  we  will  proceed  to  read  the  marriage- 
contracts,"  said  Pierquin,  glancing  at  the  clock. 
"  But  those  documents  are  not  within  my  province, 
as  the  law  forbids  me  to  act  in  matters  which  con- 
cern my  kindred  or  myself.  Monsieur  Raparlier, 
the  uncle,  is  coming." 

Just  then  the  friends  of  the  family  who  had  been 
invited  to  the  dinner-party  given  in  commemoration 
of  Monsieur  Claes's  return,  and  the  signing  of  the 
contracts,  began  to  arrive,  while  their  servants 
brought  the  wedding-gifts.  The  party  constantly 
increased  in  size,  and  became  as  imposing  by  virtue 
of  the  quality  of  the  persons  comprising  it,  as  it  was 
pleasing  to  the  eye  by  virtue  of  the  magnificence  of 
the  toilets.  The  three  families  which  were  united 
by  the  happiness  of  their  children,  sought  to  outdo 
one  another  in  splendor.  In  a  few  moments  the 
parlor  was  filled  with  the  handsome  gifts  presented 
to  the  betrothed.     Gold  gleamed  and  sparkled.    The 


284  THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE 

rich  stuffs,  the  cashmere  shawls,  the  necklaces,  the 
jewels,  aroused  such  heartfelt  delight  in  those  who 
gave  and  those  who  received  them;  that  semi-childish 
glee  was  so  plainly  depicted  on  every  face,  that  the 
value  of  the  superb  gifts  was  forgotten  even  by 
the  indifferent  guests,  who  frequently,  on  such  occa- 
sions, indulge  in  calculations  from  curiosity.  Soon 
the  ceremonial  which  the  Claes  family  was  accus- 
tomed to  follow  on  these  solemn  occasions,  began. 
The  parents  alone  were  supposed  to  remain  seated, 
and  all  the  others  to  stand  facing  them  at  a  little  dis- 
tance. On  the  left  side  of  the  parlor,  toward  the 
garden,  stood  Gabriel  Claes  and  Mademoiselle  Co- 
nyncks,  and  beside  them  were  Monsieur  de  Solis 
and  Marguerite,  Pierquin  and  Felicie.  A  few  steps 
from  these  three  couples,  Balthazar  and  Conyncks, 
the  only  ones  who  were  entitled  to  be  seated,  took 
their  places,  each  in  an  armchair,  beside  the  notary 
who  took  Pierquin's  place.  Jean  stood  behind  his 
father.  A  score  of  women  beautifully  dressed,  and 
a  few  men,  all  selected  from  the  nearest  relatives  of 
the  Pierquins,  the  Conyncks,  and  the  Claes,  the 
mayor  of  Douai,  who  was  to  perform  the  marriage- 
ceremony,  the  twelve  witnesses  chosen  from  among 
the  most  intimate  friends  of  the  three  families,  the 
first  president  of  the  Royal  Court  among  the  rest, — 
all,  including  the  cure  of  Saint-Pierre,  stood  in  an 
imposing  circle  on  the  courtyard  side.  This  homage 
rendered  by  that  whole  assemblage  to  the  paternal 
authority  which,  at  that  moment,  shone  resplendent 
with  regal  majesty,  gave  to  that  scene  a  flavor  of 


THE   QUEST  OF  THE   ABSOLUTE  285 

antiquity.  It  was  the  only  moment  in  sixteen  years 
when  Balthazar  forgot  the  Search  for  the  Absolute. 

Monsieur  Raparlier,  the  notary,  asked  Marguerite 
and  her  sister  if  everybody  invited  to  the  signing  of 
the  contracts  and  the  dinner  which  was  to  follow  it 
had  arrived;  and,  on  receiving  an  affirmative  reply 
from  them,  he  stepped  to  the  table  to  get  the  contract 
between  Marguerite  and  Monsieur  de  Solis,  which 
was  to  be  read  first,  when  the  parlor  door  was  sud- 
denly thrown  open  and  Lemulquinier  appeared,  his 
face  aflame  with  joy. 

"Monsieur!  monsieur!" 

Balthazar  cast  a  despairing  glance  at  Marguerite 
and  motioned  to  her  to  follow  him  into  the  garden. 
An  uneasy  feeling  at  once  took  possession  of  the 
assemblage. 

"  I  did  not  dare  to  tell  you,  my  child,"  said  the 
father  to  his  daughter,  "  but,  since  you  have  done 
so  much  for  me,  you  surely  will  rescue  me  from 
this  fresh  misfortune.  Lemulquinier  lent  me  twenty 
thousand  francs,  the  fruit  of  his  savings,  for  one  last 
experiment,  which  was  unsuccessful.  Doubtless, 
the  poor  fellow  has  come  to  ask  me  for  it,  learning 
that  I  have  become  rich  again;  let  me  have  it  at 
once.  Oh!  my  angel,  you  owe  it  to  your  father, 
for  he  alone  consoled  me  in  my  misery,  he  alone  still 
has  faith  in  me.  It  is  certain  that,  but  for  him,  I 
should  have  died — " 

"Monsieur!  monsieur!"  cried  Lemulquinier. 

"  Well?"  said  Balthazar,  turning  back. 

"A  diamond!" 


286  THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE 

Claes  leaped  back  into  the  parlor  when  he  spied  a 
diamond  in  the  hands  of  his  valet,  who  said  to  him 
in  an  undertone: 

"  I  went  to  the  laboratory — " 

The  chemist,  who  had  forgotten  everything,  looked 
at  the  old  Fleming,  and  that  glance  could  be  trans- 
lated only  by  these  words:  "  You  went  to  the  lab- 
oratory first!" 

"And  I  found  this  diamond,"  continued  the  valet, 
"  in  the  retort  connected  with  the  battery  which  we 
left  at  work  making  them;  and  it  made  one,  mon- 
sieur!" he  added,  exhibiting  a  white  octahedral 
diamond,  whose  brilliancy  attracted  the  astonished 
glance  of  the  whole  assemblage. 

"  My  children,  my  friends,"  said  Balthazar,  "  for- 
give my  old  servant,  forgive  me. — This  will  drive 
me  mad.  Chance,  in  seven  years,  has  produced, 
without  me,  a  discovery  I  have  been  trying  to  make 
for  sixteen  years.  How?  I  have  no  idea.  I  left 
some  sulphate  of  carbon  under  the  influence  of  a 
voltaic  battery  whose  action  should  have  been 
watched  every  day.  Well,  during  my  absence, 
God's  power  has  burst  forth  in  my  laboratory,  and 
I  was  not  present  to  observe  its  effects — gradual 
effects,  of  course!  Is  it  not  horrible?  Accursed 
exile!  Accursed  luck!  Alas!  if  I  had  watched  that 
long,  slow,  sudden  crystallization,  transformation, — 
I  don't  know  what  to  call  it, — that  miracle,  why, 
my  children  would  be  even  richer  than  they  are. 
Although  this  is  not  the  solution  of  the  problem 
1  am   investigating,   at  least  the  first   rays  of  my 


THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE  287 

renown  would  have  shone  upon  my  country,  and  this 
moment,  which  our  mutual  affection  renders  so  im- 
measurably happy,  would  be  made  still  more  ardent 
by  the  sun  of  science!" 

Everyone  held  his  peace  before  that  man.  The 
incoherent  words  extorted  from  him  by  grief  were 
too  genuine  not  to  be  sublime. 

Suddenly  he  forced  back  his  despair  to  the  very 
depths  of  his  being,  bestowed  upon  the  assembled 
company  a  majestic  glance  which  went  to  their  very 
souls,  took  the  diamond,  and  offered  it  to  Marguerite, 
saying: 

"  It  belongs  to  you,  my  angel." 

Then  he  dismissed  Lemulquinier  with  a  gesture, 
and  said  to  the  notary: 

"  Let  us  proceed." 

That  remark  sent  such  a  thrill  through  the  assem- 
blage as  Talma  used  to  send  through  the  spell-bound 
audience  in  certain  roles.  Balthazar  had  resumed  his 
seat,  saying  to  himself  in  an  undertone: 

"  I  must  be  the  father  to-day,  and  nothing  else." 

Marguerite  overheard  the  words,  walked  to  where 
he  sat,  took  his  hand,  and  kissed  it  respectfully. 

"  Never  was  a  man  so  great,"  said  Emmanuel, 
when  his  fiancee  returned  to  him,  "  never  was  a 
man  so  self-controlled;  any  other  would  have  gone 
mad." 

The  three  contracts  being  duly  read  and  signed, 
everyone  eagerly  questioned  Balthazar  concerning 
the  substance  of  which  the  diamond  was  composed; 
but  he  could  give  no  information  concerning  such  an 


288  THE  QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE 

extraordinary  accident.  He  looked  toward  his  garret, 
and  pointed  to  it  with  a  frantic  gesture. 

"Yes,  the  awful  power  produced  by  the  combus- 
tion of  the  inflammable  matter,  which  no  doubt 
makes  metals  and  diamonds,"  he  said,  "  made  itself 
manifest  for  an  instant,  by  chance." 

"  Probably  that  same  chance  is  the  most  natural 
thing  in  the  world,"  said  one  of  those  people  who 
try  to  explain  everything;  "  I  suppose  the  goodman 
left  a  real  diamond  there  and  forgot  it.  It's  just  so 
much  saved  from  what  he  has  thrown  away — " 

"Let  us  forget  this  incident,"  said  Balthazar  to 
his  friends;  "  1  beg  you  not  to  mention  it  to  me 
again  to-day." 

Marguerite  took  her  father's  arm  to  go  to  the 
reception-rooms  of  the  house  on  the  street,  where 
a  superb  entertainment  was  in  readiness.  When  he 
entered  the  gallery  after  all  his  guests,  he  saw  that 
it  was  fully  furnished  with  pictures  and  filled  with 
rare  flowers. 

"  Pictures!"  he  cried,  "pictures!  and  some  of  the 
old  ones!" 

He  stopped,  his  brow  grew  dark,  a  wave  of  sad- 
ness passed  over  him,  and  he  felt  the  full  burden  of 
his  sins  as  he  measured  the  depth  of  his  secret 
humiliation. 

"They  are  all  yours,  father,"  said  Marguerite, 
divining  the  thoughts  by  which  his  mind  was  torn. 

"  Angel  whom  the  heavenly  spirits  should  ap- 
plaud," he  cried,  "how  many  times  have  you 
renewed  your  father's  life!" 


THE  RESULT  OF  CHANCE 


"  My  children,  my  friends ;"  said  Balthazar,  "for- 
give my  old  servant,  forgive  me. —  This  will  drive 
me  mad.  Chance,  in  seven  years,  has  produced, 
without  me,  a  discovery  I  have  been  trying  to  make 
for  sixteen  years.     How  ?     I  have  no  idea." 


-  .    ■ 


THE  QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE  289 

"Let  no  cloud  remain  on  your  brow,  nor  the 
faintest  sad  thought  in  your  heart,"  she  replied, 
"  and  you  will  have  rewarded  me  beyond  my  hopes. 
I  have  just  been  thinking  about  Lemulquinier,  my 
dearest  father;  the  few  words  you  told  me  about 
him  have  raised  him  in  my  esteem,  and  I  confess 
that  1  have  judged  him  wrongly;  think  no  more  of 
what  you  owe  him,  he  shall  remain  with  you  as  a 
humble  friend.  Emmanuel  has  about  sixty  thou- 
sand francs  that  he  has  saved,  we  will  give  it  to 
Lemulquinier.  After  serving  you  so  faithfully,  the 
man  must  be  made  happy  for  the  rest  of  his  days. 
Don't  be  alarmed  about  us!  Monsieur  de  Solis  and 
I  have  a  calm,  happy  life  before  us,  a  life  without 
show;  so  that  we  can  do  without  that  money  until 
you  repay  it." 

"Ah!  my  child,  never  desert  me!  be  your  father's 
Providence  always!" 

On  entering  the  reception-rooms,  Balthazar  found 
them  completely  restored,  and  as  magnificently  fur- 
nished as  they  had  ever  been.  Soon  the  guests 
went  down  to  the  large  dining-room  on  the  ground- 
floor  by  the  main  stairway,  on  each  stair  of  which 
were  flowering  shrubs.  A  service  of  silver,  of  won- 
derfully beautiful  workmanship,  presented  by  Ga- 
briel to  his  father,  exerted  a  no  less  potent  charm  on 
the  eye  than  the  table  appointments,  whose  magnifi- 
cence was  a  source  of  wonderment  to  the  principal 
inhabitants  of  a  town  where  magnificence  in  that 
respect  is  traditionally  fashionable.  Monsieur  Co- 
nyncks's  servants  and  Pierquin's,  as  well  as  those  of 
19 


290  THE  QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE 

the  family,  were  in  attendance  to  serve  the  sumptu- 
ous repast.  Finding  himself  in  the  centre  of  that  table 
surrounded  by  kinsmen,  friends,  and  faces  alight 
with  lively  and  sincere  joy,  Balthazar,  behind  whom 
stood  Lemulquinier,  was  visibly  affected  by  such 
poignant  emotion  that  everyone  was  silent,  as  one 
naturally  is  silent  in  the  presence  of  great  joys  or 
great  sorrows. 

"  Dear  children,"  he  cried,  "  you  have  killed  the 
fatted  calf  for  the  return  of  the  prodigal  father!" 

Those  words,  in  which  the  scientist  pronounced 
judgment  upon  himself,  and  thereby  perhaps  pre- 
vented others  from  a  more  severe  judgment  upon 
him,  were  spoken  so  nobly  that  everyone  who  heard 
them  was  deeply  touched,  and  wiped  the  tears  from 
his  eyes;  but  it  was  the  last  trace  of  melancholy, 
the  rejoicing  insensibly  assumed  the  noisy  and  ani- 
mated character  peculiar  to  family  festivities.  After 
the  dinner,  the  leading  people  of  the  town  arrived 
for  the  ball,  which  was  at  once  opened,  and  which 
was  on  a  par  with  the  classic  splendor  of  the  restored 
Claes  House. 

The  three  marriages  were  speedily  celebrated, 
and  were  made  the  occasion  of  fetes,  balls,  and 
banquets  which  kept  old  Claes  revolving  in  the 
eddies  of  society  for  several  months.  His  eldest  son 
settled  on  the  estate  near  Cambrai  owned  by  Co- 
nyncks,  who  did  not  wish  to  be  parted  from  his 
daughter  while  he  lived.  Madame  Pierquin  also  left 
her  father's  house  to  preside  over  the  mansion  which 
Pierquin  had  built,  and  where  he  proposed  to  live 


THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE  291 

handsomely,  for  his  office  was  sold,  and  his  uncle 
Des  Racquets  had  died,  leaving  him  a  hoard  amassed 
slowly  by  saving.  Jean  went  to  Paris,  where  he 
was  to  finish  his  education. 

Only  Monsieur  and  Madame  de  Solis  remained 
with  their  father,  who  gave  up  to  them  the  house 
in  the  rear,  taking  up  his  own  quarters  on  the 
second  floor  of  the  house  on  the  street.  Margue- 
rite continued  to  watch  over  Balthazar's  material 
welfare,  and  was  assisted  in  that  pleasant  task 
by  Emmanuel.  That  noble  maiden  received  at  the 
hands  of  love  the  most  envied  of  wreaths,  that 
which  happiness  weaves,  and  whose  freshness  is 
maintained  by  constancy.  In  very  truth,  never 
did  man  and  wife  present  a  lovelier  image  of  that 
perfect,  pure,  confessed  felicity  of  which  all  women 
fondly  dream.  The  union  of  those  two,  who  had 
borne  so  bravely  the  trials  of  life,  and  had  loved 
each  other  with  such  a  holy  love,  aroused  respectful 
admiration  in  the  town.  Monsieur  de  Solis,  long 
since  appointed  inspector-general  to  the  University, 
resigned  his  post  in  order  to  enjoy  his  happiness  the 
more  thoroughly,  and  to  remain  at  Douai,  where 
everyone  praised  so  heartily  his  talents  and  his 
character,  that  his  name  was  certain  to  be  put  for- 
ward for  the  suffrages  of  the  electors,  when  he 
should  reach  the  requisite  age  for  a  deputy.  Mar- 
guerite, who  had  displayed  such  strength  of  char- 
acter in  adversity,  became  once  more  a  sweet  and 
lovely  woman  in  prosperity. 

During  that  year,  Claes  was  beyond  all  question 


292  THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE 

seriously  preoccupied ;  but,  although  he  made  inex- 
pensive experiments,  the  cost  of  which  did  not  ex- 
ceed his  means,  he  seemed  to  neglect  his  laboratory. 
Marguerite  re-established  the  former  customs  of  Claes 
House;  she  gave  a  family  party  for  her  father  every 
month,  at  which  the  Pierquins  and  Conyncks  were 
always  present,  and  received  the  first  society  of  the 
town,  one  day  in  each  week,  at  a  coffee-party ,  which 
became  one  of  the  most  celebrated  functions  in  Douai. 
Although  he  was  often  distraught,  Claes  appeared  at 
all  the  parties,  and  so  willingly  resumed  his  position 
as  a  society  man  to  please  his  oldest  daughter,  that 
his  children  were  justified  in  believing  that  he  had 
abandoned  forever  the  attempt  to  solve  his  problem. 


Three  years  passed  in  this  way. 

In  1828,  an  event  of  interest  to  Emmanuel  sum- 
moned him  to  Spain.  Although  there  were  three 
numerous  branches  of  the  family  between  the  Solis 
property  and  himself,  yellow  fever,  old  age,  sterility, 
all  the  caprices  of  chance,  conspired  to  make  Em- 
manuel the  last  heir  to  the  titles  and  valuable  en- 
tailed estates  of  his  family.  By  one  of  those  freaks 
of  fortune  which  are  improbable  only  in  books,  the 
Solis  family  had  acquired  the  countship  of  Nourho. 
Marguerite  was  not  willing  to  part  from  her  hus- 
band, who  was  to  remain  in  Spain  as  long  as  the 
settlement  of  his  affairs  required;  she  was  curious, 
moreover,  to  see  the  castle  of  Casa-Real,  where  her 
mother  had  passed  her  infancy,  and  the  city  of  Gra- 
nada, the  patrimonial  cradle  of  the  Solis  family.  She 
left  Douai,  entrusting  the  management  of  the  house 
to  the  devotion  of  Martha,  Josette,  and  Lemulquinier, 
who  were  familiar  with  her  methods.  Balthazar,  to 
whom  Marguerite  had  suggested  that  he  make  the 
journey  with  them,  declined  on  the  ground  of  his 
advanced  age;  but  several  experiments  which  he 
had  long  meditated,  and  which  were  to  bring  his 
hopes  to  fruition,  were  the  real  reason  of  his  refusal. 

The  count  and  countess  of  Solis  y  Nourho  re- 
mained in  Spain  longer  than  they  intended.  Mar- 
guerite gave  birth  to  a  child  there.     In  the  summer 

(293) 


294  THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE 

of  1830,  they  were  at  Cadiz,  whence  they  intended 
to  return  to  France  by  way  of  Italy;  but  there  they 
received  a  letter  from  Felicie,  containing  melancholy 
news.  In  eighteen  months  their  father  had  ruined 
himself  utterly.  Gabriel  and  Pierquin  were  obliged 
to  allow  Lemulquinier  a  certain  sum  monthly  to  de- 
fray the  household  expenses.  The  old  servant  had 
again  sacrificed  his  fortune  to  his  master.  Balthazar 
would  see  no  one,  he  would  not  even  admit  his  chil- 
dren to  his  house.  Josette  and  Martha  were  dead. 
The  coachman,  the  cook,  and  the  other  servants  had 
been  dismissed  one  after  another.  The  horses  and 
carriages  were  sold.  Although  Lemulquinier  pre- 
served the  utmost  secrecy  concerning  his  master's 
habits,  it  was  fair  to  suppose  that  the  thousand 
francs  a  month  contributed  by  Gabriel  and  Pierquin 
were  used  for  experiments.  The  scanty  supplies 
which  the  valet  purchased  at  the  market  led  them 
to  believe  that  those  two  old  men  contented  them- 
selves with  what  was  absolutely  necessary.  Lastly, 
in  order  that  the  paternal  house  might  not  be  sold, 
Gabriel  and  Pierquin  were  paying  the  interest  on 
the  money  Claes  had  borrowed  upon  it  without  their 
knowledge.  No  one  of  his  children  had  the  slightest 
influence  on  the  old  man,  who,  at  seventy  years,  dis- 
played an  extraordinary  amount  of  energy  in  carry- 
ing out  all  his  wishes,  no  matter  how  absurd  they 
might  be.  Marguerite  alone  might  possibly  resume 
the  power  she  had  formerly  exerted  over  Balthazar, 
and  Felicie  begged  her  sister  to  return  speedily;  she 
feared  that  her  father  might  have  signed  some  notes. 


THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE  295 

Gabriel,  Conyncks,  and  Pierquin,  dismayed  at  the 
persistence  of  a  mania  which  had  devoured  about 
seven  millions  without  result,  had  decided  not  to 
pay  his  debts. 

That  letter  caused  a  change  in  Marguerite's  plans, 
and  she  started  at  once  for  Douai  by  the  shortest 
route.  Her  savings  and  her  new  fortune  would  en- 
able her  to  pay  her  father's  debts  once  more;  but 
she  wished  to  do  more  than  that,  she  wished  to 
obey  her  mother  and  not  allow  Balthazar  to  go  down 
into  the  grave  in  disgrace.  Certainly  none  but  she 
could  exert  sufficient  influence  over  that  old  man 
to  prevent  him  from  continuing  his  work  of  destruc- 
tion, at  an  age  when  no  valuable  results  could  be 
expected  from  his  weakened  faculties.  But  she 
wished  to  guide  him  without  hurting  him,  in  order 
not  to  imitate  Sophocles's  children,  in  case  her  father 
were  really  approaching  the  scientific  goal  to  which 
he  had  sacrificed  so  much. 

Monsieur  and  Madame  de  Solis  reached  Flanders 
in  the  latter  part  of  September,  1831,  and  arrived  at 
Douai  in  the  morning.  Marguerite  ordered  her  car- 
riage to  stop  at  her  house  on  Rue  de  Paris  and  found 
it  closed.  No  one  answered  the  violent  ringing  of 
the  bell.  A  tradesman  left  the  doorway  of  his  shop, 
to  which  he  had  been  attracted  by  the  rumbling  of 
the  carriages  of  Monsieur  de  Solis  and  his  suite. 
Many  people  were  at  their  windows  to  feast  their 
eyes  on  the  spectacle  of  the  return  of  a  family  be- 
loved throughout  the  town,  and  drawn  thither  also 
by  a  vague  curiosity  concerning  the  events  to  which 


296  THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE 

Marguerite's  arrival  was  likely  to  lead  in  Claes 
House. 

The  tradesman  told  the  Comte  de  Solis's  servant 
that  Monsieur  Claes  had  gone  out  about  an  hour 
before.  Doubtless,  Lemulquinier  was  taking  his 
master  out  for  an  airing  on  the  ramparts.  Marguerite 
sent  for  a  locksmith  to  open  the  door,  in  order  to 
avoid  the  scene  likely  to  be  caused  by  her  father's 
refusal  to  admit  her,  if,  as  Felicie  had  written,  he 
should  so  refuse.  Meanwhile,  Emmanuel  went  in 
search  of  the  old  man  to  tell  him  of  his  daughter's 
arrival,  while  his  servant  ran  to  inform  Monsieur 
and  Madame  Pierquin. 

The  door  was  opened  in  a  moment.  Marguerite 
entered  the  parlor  to  superintend  the  placing  of  her 
luggage,  and  shuddered  with  dismay  when  she  saw 
that  the  walls  were  as  bare  as  if  fire  had  devastated 
them.  The  beautiful  wainscoting  carved  by  Van  Huy- 
sium  and  the  portrait  of  the  president  had  been  sold, 
to  Lord  Spencer,  it  was  said.  The  dining-room  was 
stripped:  there  was  nothing  left  there  but  two  straw 
chairs  and  a  common  table  on  which  Marguerite  saw, 
with  horror,  two  plates,  two  bowls,  two  silver  covers, 
and  on  a  platter  the  remains  of  a  red  herring,  of 
which  Claes  and  his  servant  had  evidently  just  par- 
taken. In  an  instant  she  ran  over  all  the  house, 
where  every  room  presented  a  picture  of  nakedness 
a,nd  desolation  like  the  parlor  and  dining-room.  The 
idea  of  the  Absolute  had  passed  everywhere  like  a 
conflagration.  Her  father's  bedroom  had  no  other 
furniture  than  a  bed,  a  chair,  and  a  table  whereon 


THE  QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE  297 

stood  a  wretched  copper  candlestick  with  a  bit  of 
candle  of  the  cheapest  sort  burned  down  to  the 
socket.  The  dismantling  was  so  complete  that 
there  were  no  curtains  at  the  windows.  The  most 
trivial  objects  of  any  possible  value  in  the  house, 
everything,  even  to  the  cooking  utensils,  had  been 
sold.  Impelled  by  the  curiosity  which  never  aban- 
dons us  even  in  misfortune,  Marguerite  entered  Le- 
mulquinier's  room,  which  was  as  bare  as  his 
master's.  In  the  half-open  table  drawer,  she  saw 
a  pawnbroker's  ticket  which  attested  the  fact  that 
the  servant  had  pawned  his  watch  a  few  days  be- 
fore. She  hurried  to  the  laboratory,  and  found  that 
room  filled  with  scientific  apparatus  as  in  the  past. 
She  opened  the  door  of  her  own  apartment — there 
her  father  had  respected  everything! 

At  the  first  glance  she  cast  about  the  room,  Mar- 
guerite burst  into  tears,  and  forgave  her  father 
all.  Even  amid  his  devastating  frenzy,  he  had  been 
checked  by  his  fatherly  love,  and  by  the  gratitude 
he  owed  his  daughter!  That  proof  of  affection, 
received  at  the  very  moment  that  Marguerite's  de- 
spair was  at  its  height,  caused  one  of  those  mental 
reactions  against  which  the  coldest  hearts  are  power- 
less. She  went  down  to  the  parlor  and  awaited  her 
father's  arrival  there,  in  a  state  of  anxiety  made  im- 
measurably more  poignant  by  doubt.  In  what  con- 
dition should  she  find  him?  Wrecked,  decrepit,  ill, 
enfeebled  by  the  fasting  he  imposed  upon  himself 
through  pride?  And  would  he  have  his  reason? 
Tears  flowed  from  her  eyes  unheeded  at  the  thought 


298  THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE 

of  that  devastated  sanctuary.  The  memories  of  her 
whole  life,  her  struggles,  her  fruitless  precautions, 
her  childhood,  her  mother,  happy  and  unhappy, 
everything,  even  the  sight  of  her  little  Joseph  smil- 
ing at  that  spectacle  of  desolation,  helped  to  com- 
pose a  poem  of  heart-rending,  melancholy  strains. 
But,  although  she  had  a  presentiment  of  misery  to 
come,  she  was  far  from  anticipating  the  catastrophe 
which  was  to  crown  her  father's  life,  that  life  at 
once  so  grand  and  so  miserable. 

Monsieur  Claes's  condition  was  a  secret  to  nobody. 
To  the  shame  of  mankind,  there  were  not  in  all 
Douai  two  noble  hearts  to  do  honor  to  the  perse- 
verance of  a  man  of  genius.  In  the  view  of  society 
as  a  whole,  Balthazar  was  a  man  to  be  tabooed,  a 
wicked  father  who  had  squandered  six  fortunes, 
millions,  and  who  was  seeking  the  philosopher's 
stone  in  the  nineteenth  century,  this  enlightened 
century,  this  incredulous  century,  this  century  of — 
etc.,  etc.  They  spoke  ill  of  him,  branding  him  with 
the  name  of  alchemist,  throwing  in  his  face  the 
sneer:  "He  is  trying  to  make  gold!"  What  ex- 
travagant eulogies  are  pronounced  upon  this  cen- 
tury, in  which,  as  in  so  many  others,  talent  expires 
beneath  an  indifference  as  brutal  as  that  of  the  days 
when  Dante  died,  and  Cervantes  and  Tasso  e  tutti 
quanti!  Nations  are  even  slower  than  kings  in 
comprehending  the  creations  of  genius. 

These  opinions  had  gradually  found  their  way 
from  the  aristocratic  society  to  the  bourgeoisie, 
and  from  the  bourgeoisie  to  the  lowest  orders  of  the 


THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE  299 

people.  The  septuagenarian  chemist  aroused,  there- 
fore, a  profound  feeling  of  pity  in  well-bred  people, 
and  a  mocking  curiosity  among  the  vulgar,  two 
sentiments  pregnant  with  contempt,  with  that  Vce. 
victis!  with  which  great  men  are  overwhelmed  by  the 
masses  when  they  see  that  they  are  down.  Many 
people  passed  Claes  House  to  look  at  the  rose- 
window  under  the  eaves  where  so  much  gold  and 
carbon  had  been  consumed.  When  Balthazar  passed, 
people  pointed  their  fingers  at  him;  often,  at  sight  of 
him,  a  sneer  or  a  word  of  pity  came  from  the  lips 
of  a  man  of  the  people  or  a  child;  but  Lemulquinier 
took  pains  to  translate  it  as  a  word  of  praise,  and 
could  deceive  him  with  impunity.  Although  Baltha- 
zar's eyes  had  retained  that  sublime  lucidity  which 
the  habit  of  thinking  great  thoughts  imparts,  his 
sense  of  hearing  was  weakened.  In  the  eyes  of 
many  peasants,  and  of  vulgar  and  superstitious  folk, 
that  old  man  was  a  sorcerer.  The  noble,  the  ma- 
jestic Claes  House  was  called  in  the  suburbs  and  in 
the  country  districts  the  devil's  house.  Everything, 
even  Lemulquinier's  face,  tended  to  confirm  the 
ridiculous  ideas  that  were  current  concerning  his 
master.  So,  when  the  poor  slave  went  to  market 
to  buy  the  supplies  necessary  for  their  subsistence, 
which  he  selected  from  the  poorest  and  cheapest, 
he  obtained  nothing  without  a  few  insults  thrown  in 
as  a  makeweight;  indeed,  he  was  fortunate  if  some 
superstitious  dealer  did  not  refuse  to  sell  him  his  mea- 
gre pittance,  afraid  of  damning  himself  by  having 
any  dealings  with  an  imp  of  hell. 


300  THE   QUEST  OF  THE   ABSOLUTE 

The  general  sentiment  of  the  whole  town,  there- 
fore, was  hostile  to  that  old  man  and  his  companion. 
The  disordered  dress  of  both  augmented  the  hostil- 
ity, for  they  went  about  clothed  like  the  shamefaced 
poor  who  preserve  a  decent  exterior  and  hesitate  to 
ask  alms.  Sooner  or  later,  the  two  old  men  were 
certain  to  be  publicly  insulted.  Pierquin,  feeling 
keenly  how  disgraceful  such  an  outcome  would  be 
to  the  family,  always  sent  two  or  three  of  his  people, 
when  his  father-in-law  went  out  to  walk,  to  follow 
him  at  a  distance  and  protect  him,  for  the  Revolu- 
tion of  July  had  not  contributed  to  make  the  common 
people  respectful. 

By  one  of  those  fatalities  which  it  is  impossible 
to  explain,  Claes  and  Lemulquinier,  having  gone  out 
early  in  the  morning,  had  defeated  the  secret  over- 
sight of  Monsieur  and  Madame  Pierquin,  and  were 
alone  on  the  streets.  On  returning  from  their  walk, 
they  sat  down  in  the  sun  on  a  bench  on  Place 
Saint-Jacques,  where  several  children  were  passing 
on  their  way  to  school.  Perceiving  at  a  distance 
those  two  defenceless  old  men,  whose  faces  beamed 
in  the  sunshine,  the  children  commenced  to  chatter. 
Ordinarily,  the  chatter  of  children  soon  changes  to 
laughter;  from  laughter  they  go  on  to  practical  jokes, 
not  knowing  how  cruel  they  are.  Seven  or  eight  of 
the  first  who  arrived  held  aloof  and  scrutinized  the 
two  aged  figures,  restraining  stifled  laughter,  which 
attracted  Lemulquinier's  attention. 

"  I  say,  do  you  see  that  one  with  a  head  just  like 
a  knee?" 


THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE  301 

"Yes." 

"Well,  he's  a  scholar  by  birth." 

"Papa  says  he  makes  gold,"  said  another. 

"Where?  There  or  here?"  added  a  third,  indi- 
cating slyly  that  part  of  his  body  to  which  school- 
boys so  often   point  in  token  of  contempt. 

The  smallest  of  the  band,  who  had  his  basket  full 
of  provisions,  and  was  sucking  a  slice  of  buttered 
bread,  walked  innocently  to  the  bench  and  said  to 
Lemulquinier: 

"  Is  it  true,  monsieur,  that  you  make  pearls  and 
diamonds?" 

"Yes,  my  little  trooper,"  Lemulquinier  replied, 
smiling  and  patting  his  cheek;  "we'll  give  you 
some  when  you  have  learned  a  lot." 

"Oh!  give  me  some,  too,  monsieur!"  they  all 
exclaimed  in  chorus. 

They  ran  up  like  a  flock  of  birds  and  surrounded 
the  two  chemists.  Balthazar,  aroused  by  their 
cries  from  the  meditation  in  which  he  was  absorbed, 
made  an  astonished  gesture  which  caused  a  general 
laugh. 

"Hush,  you  little  rascals,  respect  a  great  man!" 
said  Lemulquinier. 

"  Listen  to  the  jack-pudding!"  cried  the  children. 
"You're  sorcerers.  Yes,  sorcerers!  old  sorcerers! 
sorcerers!" 

Lemulquinier  rose  and  shook  his  cane  at  the  chil- 
dren, who  fled,  picking  up  mud  and  stones.  A 
workman,  who  was  eating  his  lunch  a  few  steps 
away,  seeing  Lemulquinier  raise  his  cane  to  drive 


302  THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE 

the  children  away,  thought  that  he  had  struck  them, 
and  espoused  their  cause  with  the  ominous  words: 

"  Down  with  the  sorcerers!" 

The  children,  finding  that  they  were  supported, 
threw  their  projectiles,  some  of  which  struck  the 
two  old  men,  just  as  the  Comte  de  Solis  appeared  at 
the  corner  of  the  square,  accompanied  by  Pierquin's 
servants.  They  did  not  arrive  in  time  to  prevent 
the  children  from  covering  the  grand  old  man  and 
his  servant  with  mud.  The  blow  was  dealt.  Bal- 
thazar, whose  faculties  had  been  preserved  thus  far 
by  the  purity  natural  to  great  scientists,  who  are  so 
engrossed  by  their  preoccupation  that  their  passions 
are  deadened,  divined,  by  the  phenomenon  of  intus- 
susception, the  secret  significance  of  that  scene.  His 
decrepit  body  could  not  withstand  the  terrible  re- 
action which  he  underwent  in  his  sentiments,  he 
fell,  stricken  with  paralysis,  into  the  arms  of  Lemul- 
quinier,  who  carried  him  home  on  a  litter,  escorted 
by  his  two  sons-in-law  and  their  servants.  No 
power  could  deter  the  populace  of  Douai  from  at- 
tending the  old  man  to  the  door  of  his  house,  where 
Felicie  and  her  children,  Jean,  Marguerite,  and  Ga- 
briel were  assembled,  the  latter  having  come  from 
Cambrai  with  his  wife  on  receipt  of  a  line  from  his 
sister. 

It  was  a  heart-rending  spectacle,  the  home-coming 
of  that  old  man,  struggling  not  so  much  against  death 
as  against  the  horror  of  having  his  children  discover 
the  secret  of  his  poverty.  A  bed  was  at  once  set 
up  in  the  centre  of  the  parlor,  and  loving  care  was 


THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE  303 

lavished  on  Balthazar,  whose  condition  toward  the 
close  of  the  day  gave  them  some  hope  of  preserv- 
ing his  life.  The  paralysis,  although  skilfully  com- 
bated, left  him  for  a  long  while  in  a  state  bordering 
closely  upon  dotage.  After  it  had  gradually  left  the 
other  parts  of  his  body,  it  continued  to  affect  his 
tongue,  which  it  had  attacked  with  especial  severity, 
perhaps  because  the  old  man's  wrath  had  concen- 
trated all  his  strength  at  that  point  when  he  was 
about  to  harangue  the  children. 

This  episode  aroused  general  indignation  through- 
out the  town.  By  virtue  of  a  law,  hitherto  unknown, 
which  guides  the  affections  of  the  masses,  it  brought 
all  hearts  back  to  Monsieur  Claes.  In  an  instant  he 
became  a  great  man,  he  aroused  the  admiration  and 
attracted  all  the  sentiments  which  had  been  with- 
held from  him  the  day  before.  Everyone  exalted 
his  patience,  his  firm  will,  his  courage,  his  genius. 
The  magistrates  were  determined  to  deal  severely 
with  those  who  had  taken  part  in  the  assault;  but 
the  harm  was  done.  The  Claes  family  were  the 
first  to  ask  that  the  affair  might  be  allowed  to  drop. 

Marguerite  had  given  orders  for  furnishing  the 
parlor,  where  the  bare  walls  were  soon  hung  with 
silk.  When,  a  few  days  after  this  incident,  the  old 
father  had  recovered  his  faculties,  and  found  him- 
self in  a  luxurious  apartment,  surrounded  by  every 
essential  of  a  happy  life,  he  tried  to  say  that  his 
daughter  Marguerite  must  have  returned,  just  at 
the  moment  that  she  entered  the  parlor.  When  he 
saw  her,  Balthazar  blushed,  his  eyes  grew  moist, 


304  THE   QUEST  OF  THE   ABSOLUTE 

although  no  tears  flowed  from  them.  He  was  able  to 
press  his  daughter's  hand  with  his  cold  fingers,  and 
in  that  pressure  he  put  all  the  sentiments  and  all  the 
ideas  which  he  could  no  longer  express  in  words. 
There  was  something  sacred  and  solemn  in  that 
farewell  of  the  brain  which  still  lived,  of  the  heart 
revivified  by  gratitude. 

Exhausted  by  his  fruitless  efforts,  wearied  by  his 
struggle  with  a  gigantic  problem,  and,  it  may  be,  in 
despair  at  the  thought  of  the  oblivion  which  awaited 
his  memory,  that  giant  was  ere  long  to  cease  to  live; 
all  his  children  surrounded  him  with  respectful  affec- 
tion, so  that  his  eyes  were  refreshed  by  images  of 
plenty  and  of  wealth,  and  by  the  touching  picture 
presented  by  his  lovely  family.  He  invariably 
manifested  the  deepest  affection  in  his  glances,  by 
which  alone  he  was  able  to  express  his  feelings: 
his  eyes  suddenly  contracted  such  a  great  variety 
of  expressions  that  they  had  a  sort  of  language  of 
light,  easy  to  understand. 

Marguerite  paid  her  father's  debts,  and  in  a  few 
days  restored  to  Claes  House  a  modern  splendor 
which  precluded  all  idea  of  decadence.  She  never 
left  Balthazar's  bedside,  and  exerted  herself  to  di- 
vine his  every  thought  and  to  fulfil  his  slightest 
wish.  Several  months  passed  in  the  alternations  of 
better  and  worse  which  in  old  men  accompany  the 
struggle  between  life  and  death.  Every  morning  his 
children  went  to  him,  remained  in  the  parlor  through- 
out the  day,  dining  by  his  bedside,  and  did  not  leave 
him  until  he  went  to   sleep.     Of  all  the  forms  of 


THE   QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE  305 

diversion  to  which  they  resorted  to  amuse  him,  the 
one  that  gave  him  most  pleasure  was  the  reading  of 
the  newspapers,  which  were  at  that  time  made  very 
interesting  by  the  political  situation.  Monsieur  Claes 
listened  attentively  while  Monsieur  de  Solis  read 
them  aloud  beside  his  bed. 

Late  in  the  year  1832,  Balthazar  passed  an  ex- 
tremely critical  night,  during  which  Monsieur  Pier- 
quin,  the  doctor,  was  summoned  by  the  nurse,  who 
was  alarmed  by  a  sudden  change  in  the  patient's 
condition;  and  the  doctor  decided  to  pass  the  rest  of 
the  night  with  him,  fearing  every  moment  that  he 
would  expire  in  the  throes  of  an  internal  paroxysm, 
the  effects  of  which  resembled  the  death-agony. 

The  old  man  struggled  with  incredible  strength  to 
shake  off  the  bonds  of  paralysis;  he  tried  to  speak, 
and  moved  his  tongue,  but  could  make  no  sound  ; 
his  flaming  eyes  shot  forth  thoughts;  his  distorted 
features  expressed  the  most  intense  agony;  his  fin- 
gers moved  convulsively;  the  sweat  stood  in  beads 
on  his  forehead.  In  the  morning,  the  children  came 
to  embrace  their  father  with  that  affection  which 
the  fear  that  his  death  was  near  at  hand  made  them 
lavish  upon  him  with  more  intense  ardor  every  day; 
but  he  did  not  manifest  the  satisfaction  which  those 
tokens  of  affection  usually  caused  him.  Emmanuel, 
at  Pierquin's  suggestion,  made  haste  to  open  the 
newspaper,  to  see  if  by  reading  he  could  not  relieve 
the  internal  agony  by  which  Balthazar  was  afflicted. 
As  he  unfolded  the  paper,  he  saw  the  words:  Dis- 
covery of  the  Absolute,  which  startled  him,  and  he 
20 


306  THE  QUEST  OF  THE  ABSOLUTE 

read  to  Marguerite  an  article  concerning  a  lawsuit 
relative  to  the  sale  of  the  Absolute,  by  a  celebrated 
Polish  mathematician.  Though  Emmanuel  read  the 
heading  in  a  low  voice  to  Marguerite,  who  requested 
him  to  omit  the  article,  Balthazar  overheard  him. 

Suddenly  the  dying  man  raised  himself  on  his 
hands,  cast  upon  his  terrified  children  a  glance  that 
blinded  them  like  a  flash  of  lightning,  the  fringe  of 
hair  around  his  head  moved,  his  wrinkles  quivered, 
his  face  was  lighted  with  a  spiritual  flame,  and  a 
breath  passed  over  that  face  and  made  it  sublime; 
he  raised  one  hand,  clenched  in  fury,  and  cried  in  a 
voice  of  thunder  the  famous  word  of  Archimedes: 
Eureka!  —  I  have  found! — He  fell  back  upon  his 
bed  with  the  dull  thud  of  a  lifeless  body;  he  died 
uttering  a  ghastly  groan,  and  his  distorted  eyes 
expressed,  up  to  the  moment  that  the  physician 
closed  them,  his  regret  that  he  had  not  been  able 
to  bequeath  to  science  this  solution  of  an  enigma 
from  which  the  veil  was  torn  away  too  late  by  the 
fleshless  fingers  of  death. 

<  Paris,  June — September  1834. 


LIST  OF   ETCHINGS 


VOLUME  XLV 

PAGE 

IN  THE  LABORATORY Fronts. 

IN  THE  RUE  DE   PARIS 80 

THE  GALLERY  AT  CLAES  HOUSE 144 

THE  HIDDEN  TREASURE 232 

THE  RESULT  OF  CHANCE 288 


45  C.  H.,  Q.  of  the  A.,  N.  &  R.  307 


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